Fishery resources in the Mediterranean Sea: technical measures for the conservation (amend. Regulation (EC) No 1626/94)

OBJECTIVE: to amend Regulation (EC) No 1626/94 to limit overexploitation of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean. COMMUNITY MEASURE: Council Regulation (EC) No 782/98 amending Regulation (EC) No 1626/94 laying down certain technical measures for the conservation of fishery resources in the Mediterranean. SUBSTANCE: In response to the overexploitation of stocks of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean, the Regulation introduces new limits on fishing, based on the recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), the aim being to reduce fishing activity to levels which will be viable in the long term. In particular, the Regulation contains the following provisions: -it bans the use of aeroplanes or helicopters to detect the fish (a system which has dramatically improved the efficiency of fishing) between 1 and 30 June, -it bans the use of purse seines to fish for bluefin tuna in August, in order to reduce mortality among juveniles, -it applies specific rules on minimum landing sizes for bluefin tuna. ENTRY INTO FORCE: 16.04.1998.�