The Recommendation establishes the ICCAT Bluefin Tuna Catch Documentation Scheme (BCD), requiring all Contracting Parties, Cooperating non-Contracting Parties, Entities, and Fishing Entities (CPCs) to implement a system for tracking bluefin tuna from harvest to final market to support conservation and management measures. A completed and validated BCD is mandatory for every consignment of bluefin tuna that is landed, delivered to or harvested from farms, domestically traded, imported, exported, or re-exported, with any movement without the required documentation being prohibited. Validation, carried out by an authorized official of the flag, trap, farm, or seller/exporter State, confirms that the catch information is accurate, within allocated quotas, and compliant with ICCAT provisions. Furthermore, a validated Bluefin Tuna Re-export Certificate (BFTRC) must accompany re-exported product. CPCs are required to verify consignments, cooperate to resolve documentation doubts, and communicate copies of validated BCDs/BFTRCs to the ICCAT Secretariat and trading partners to ensure the effectiveness of the scheme. The text contains 6 Annexes.
2009-01-01