Conservation of Antarctic marine living resources: control of vessels flying the flag of non-contracting parties

OBJECTIVE: to approve, on behalf of the Community, certain fishery conservation measures adopted by CCAMLR. SUBSTANCE: the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), of which the Community and certain Member States are contracting parties, is responsible for managing Antarctic fisheries. At its meeting in November 1997 it adopted a conservation measure designed to discourage the development of illegal fishing in the CCAMLR Convention Area, due to the massive expansion in these fisheries targeting the toothfish species (dissostichus eleginoides). The measure is aimed more specifically at vessels flying the flags of third countries not parties to CCAMLR which continue to fish illegally in the area concerned, not being required to comply with the regulations in force. The proposed CCAMLR measure lays down that in the event of a vessel of a non-contracting party being sighted active in the CCAMLR area, a mandatory inspection will be carried out on that vessel when it is voluntarily in the ports of contracting parties. In this case, landings and transhipments from the vessel will be prohibited if, in the course of such an inspection, it is established that the catch has been taken in contravention of the conservation and enforcement measures adopted by CCAMLR. The Commission proposal seeks to apply to the Community this conservation measure, which will become binding with effect from 11.05.1998 in the absence of any objections by the contracting parties.�