Conservation of Antarctic marine living resources: catch documentation scheme for Dissostichus spp.

PURPOSE : to establish a catch documentation scheme for Dissostichus spp. CONTENT : This proposal concerns the Community's international obligations under the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. The Convention, which established the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) was approved by Council Decision 81/691/EC. In 1999, CCAMLR adopted conservation measure 170/XVIII establishing a catch documentation scheme for Dissostichus spp. The Community must implement this measure which will be binding upon it from 9 May 2000. The main aims of this new measure are to combat illegal fishing, to monitor international trade in Dissostichus spp., to identify the origin of shipments and consignments imported into or exported from the territory of CCAMLR Contracting Parties, to establish whether fish harvested in the Convention area have been caught in accordance with the CCAMLR's conservation measures and to gather data with a view to scientific evaluation of the stocks. Non-Contracting Parties to CCAMLR are invited to participate in the documentation scheme and to provide their flag vessels with specimen catch documentation forms. The scheme is an essential part of the arrangements that will ensure, in the longer term, more efficient combatting of illegal fishing for the species managed by CCAMLR. The procedure for implementing the catch documentation scheme will be laid down in a Commission Implementing Regulation.�