Conservation of fishery resources: tuna tracking and verification system, dolphin conservation

PURPOSE : to establish a tuna tracking an verification system. COMMUNITY MEASURE : Council Regulation 882/2003/EC establishing a tuna tracking and verification system. CONTENT : this Regulation establishes a tuna tracking and verification system, following the signature by the Community of the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Programme (AIDCP). The purpose of this system is to enable dolphin-safe tuna to be distinguished from non-dolphin-safe tuna from the time it is caught to the time it is ready for retail sale. The system is based on the premise that dolphin-safe tuna shall, from the time of capture, during unloading, storage, transfer, and processing, be identified as dolphin-safe tuna. During the discussions at technical level and with regard to an amendment submitted by the European Parliament, the definition of " non-dolphin-safe tuna" was amended so that any tuna caught in sets in which dolphins were intentionally encircled by vessels without a Dolphin Mortality Limit (DML) or whose captain is not on the List of Qualified Captains maintained by the AIDCP Secretariat, shall not be considered dolphin-safe. The definition of the agreement area (waters of Eastern Pacific) has also been introduced in the text. ENTRY INTO FORCE : 24/05/2003.�