Conservation of fishing resources: statistical monitoring of trade in bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) within the Community (amend. Regulation (EC) No 858/94)

OBJECTIVE: to amend Regulation (EC) No 858/94 to facilitate the management of the system for the statistical monitoring of catches of bluefin tuna. SUBSTANCE: As part of the measures to conserve and manage bluefin tuna (thunnus thynnus) stocks, the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), to which the Community is a party, has introduced a system for the statistical monitoring of catches and imports of this species by the Contracting Parties. This system has been implemented in the Community by Council Regulation (EC) No 858/94. ICCAT has recently adopted two recommendations, with the purposes of: -facilitating management of the statistical monitoring system by the Community and its Member States (in particular by making it possible for a Member State to authenticate the statistical documents relating to catches made by vessels flying the flag of another Member State); -improving the reliability of this system (by extending it to re-exports). The aim of the proposal is to implement the measures provided for by these two recommendations by amending Regulation (EC) No 858/94 to include the new provisions needed for this purpose. �