This year, for the fifth time, the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) in cooperation with the Member States concerned (Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Malta and Cyprus) and the European Commission is coordinating a joint deployment plan to monitor all aspects of the bluefin tuna fishery and ensure the implementation of the rules. The JDP has put all the necessary measures in place to ensure that the EU fishing fleet and fleets from other ICCAT Contracting Parties fully respects the rules not only during the main fishing season for purse seiners but until the end of the campaign. The EFCA will still coordinate the fishery for the remainder of the year.
During the JDP for bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic in 2012 there have been up to 84 days of activity on land carried out, 122 at sea and 168 hours of aerial surveillance. In total, there were 343 inspections carried out. There have been 32 possible non compliances detected up to now.
Besides brokering cooperation between Member States, the EFCA has been the catalyser of a maritime surveillance pilot project supported by European interagency cooperation involving EFCA, EMSA FRONTEX and ESA and providing for an integrated maritime picture. In addition, other cooperation areas have been developed such as the sharing of control and inspection means and the exchange of best practices or training activities.
Seminar in Vigo on control of the Bluefin tuna fishery
On the 28-29 June a seminar with the participation of the European Union and other ICCAT Contracting Parties on the monitoring and control of bluefin tuna fisheries has been organised by EFCA in Vigo. Representatives from Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Turkey, Spain, France, Italy, Malta and the European Commission have been invited. The seminar has revolved around the experiences of the ICCAT CPCs about recent developments in the control of the bluefin tuna fishery, the results of the EU JDP and an exchange of views on pilot projects and sampling plans, video records as a tool to control the transfers, and specific aspects related to trap activities, other gears and traceability.