The Recommendation by ICCAT replacing Recommendation 11-20 establishes a mandatory Bluefin Tuna Catch Documentation Scheme (BCD) for all Contracting Parties and Cooperating non-Contracting Parties, Entities, and Fishing Entities (CPCs), intended to identify the origin of the fish and support conservation and management measures. The scheme mandates that every consignment of bluefin tuna that is domestically traded, imported, exported, or re-exported must be accompanied by a completed and validated BCD, with any such movement strictly prohibited without this required documentation. Validation must be performed by an authorized government official of the flag, trap, farm, or seller/exporter CPC, and is only granted when the information is accurate, the catch is within allocated quotas, and all relevant ICCAT provisions are met. For re-exports, a validated Bluefin Tuna Re-export Certificate (BFTRC), along with the original BCD(s), is required. CPCs must communicate these validated documents to the ICCAT Secretariat and trading partners for verification and shall prohibit trade if a consignment is found to be non-compliant or its documentation is invalid. The text contains 6 Annexes.
2018-01-01