Observer scheme applicable to Community fishing vessels in the Regulatory Area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO): binding recommendation

OBJECTIVE: amendment of the observer scheme applicable to Community fishing vessels operating in the NAFO Regulatory Area following the approval by the NAFO Fisheries Commission of a recommendation binding on the Community in this matter. COMMUNITY MEASURE: Council Regulation 1049/97/EC amending Regulation 3069/95/EC establishing a European Community observer scheme applicable to Community fishing vessels operating in the Regulatory Area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). SUBSTANCE: the NAFO Fisheries Commission adopted on 13 September 1996 a recommendation providing for modification to the observer scheme applicable to Community fishing vessels operating in the NAFO regulatory area. As the Community is a party to the NAFO Convention, Regulation 3069/95/EC must be amended to take account of this recommendation, which became binding on the Community on 13 November 1996. These measures call on: - the observers under the observer scheme to collect data on discards and retained undersized fish according to a very precise procedure, - the masters of the fishing vessels operating in this area to give observers access to documents on board and to different parts of the vessel and, on request, to the retained catch and catch which is intended to be discarded. Regulation 3069/95/EC is therefore amended in order to incorporate this modification. ENTRY INTO FORCE: 19/06/1997 �