The Recommendation by ICCAT establishes a mandatory ICCAT Bluefin Tuna Catch Documentation Scheme (BCD) to identify the origin of bluefin tuna and ensure compliance with conservation and management measures. The scheme requires that every consignment of bluefin tuna, whether domestically traded, imported, exported, or re-exported, must be accompanied by a completed and validated BCD or, for re-exports, a validated Bluefin Tuna Re-export Certificate (BFTRC), prohibiting any movement without the required documentation. Validation by an authorized official from the flag, trap, farm, or seller/exporter Contracting Party, Cooperating non-Contracting Party, Entity, or Fishing Entity (CPC) is granted only when the BCD information is accurate, the catch is within the CPC's quotas/catch limits, and the product complies with all relevant ICCAT provisions. The Recommendation also includes new provisions, such as detailing the management of fish in farms, including the partitioning of fish based on flag CPC or Joint Fishing Operation (JFO) origin and the process for carry-over declarations. Finally, it outlines strict rules for the verification and communication of BCDs and BFTRCs, mandating cooperation between CPCs to resolve doubts and prohibiting trade if a document is determined to be invalid.
2023-01-01