Fishing activities in the area covered by the Convention on the conservation of Antarctic marine living resources: control measures

PURPOSE : to establish certain control measures for fishing activities in the area covered by the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources ("the Convention"). CONTENT : The Convention entered into force in the Community on 21 May 1982. It provides a framework for regional cooperation in conservation through the establishment of a Commission ("CCAMLR"), and the adoption by the latter of conservation measures which become binding on the Contracting Parties. The Community must apply CCAMLR measures to its fishing vessels. The measures concerned include numerous rules and provisions for the control of fishing activities in the Convention area, which must be incorporated into Community law as special provisions within them meaning of Council Regulation 2847/93/EC. Some of those special provisions have been transposed into Community law by Council Regulation 3943/90/EEC, Council Regulation 66/98/EC, and Council Regulation 1721/99/EC. With a view to implementing the new conservation measures adopted by the CCAMLR, those Regulations are repealed and replaced by a single Regulation, which lays down rules for : - control measures applicable to fishing vessels flying the flag of a Contracting Party to the Convention, operating in the Convention area in waters located beyond the limits of national jurisdiction; - a system to promote compliance by vessels flying the flag of a non-Contracting Party with conservation measures laid down by the CCAMLR. Changes have been made concerning access to fishing activities and the various catch and effort reporting systems as regards both the procedures to be followed and the species subject to the individual system for the different fishing areas. In particular, specific rules have been adopted for the crab and squid fisheries. On the issue of the control system, the CCAMLR has introduced changes designed mainly to distinguish between inspection and scientific observation activities focusing on data collection. Basic responsibility for implementing the inspection arrangements now rests with the Member States. The Commission's responsibility is at the level of monitoring the inspectors. On the matter of the checks on vessels, CCAMLR measures are updated. The draft Regulation is made up of seven chapters: - general provisions, - arrangements concerning access to fishing in the Convention area, - catch and effort reporting system, - control and inspection at sea, - control and inspection in port, - control measures for vessels flying the flag of a Non-Contracting Party to the convention, - final provisions.�