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1. Any joint fishing operation for bluefin tuna shall only be allowed if participating vessels are authorised by the flag Member State(s). To be authorised, each purse seine vessel shall be required to be equipped to fish for bluefin tuna, to have an individual quota, and to comply with the reporting obligations set out in Article 32.

2. The quota allocated to a joint fishing operation shall be equal to the total of the quotas allocated to participating purse seine vessels.

3. Union purse seine vessels shall not engage in joint fishing operations with purse seine vessels from other CPCs.

4. The application form for the authorisation to participate in a joint fishing operation is set out in Annex IV. Each Member State shall take the necessary measures to obtain the following information from its purse seine vessels participating in a joint fishing operation:

(a) the requested period of authorisation of the joint fishing operation;

(b) the identity of the operators involved;

(c) the individual vessels’ quotas;

(d) the allocation key between the vessels for the catches involved; and (e) information on the farms of destination.

5. At least 10 days before the start of the joint fishing operation, each Member State shall submit the information referred to in paragraph 4 to the Commission in the format set out in Annex IV. The Commission shall forward that information to the ICCAT Secretariat and to the flag Member State of other fishing vessels participating in the joint fishing operation, at least 5 days before the start of the fishing operation.

6. In the event of force majeure, the deadlines set out in paragraph 5 shall not apply as regards the information on the farms of destination. In such cases, Member States shall submit to the Commission an update of that information as soon as possible, together with a description of the events constituting force majeure. The Commission shall forward that information to the ICCAT Secretariat.