The European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) is co-ordinating the European control campaign for bluefin tuna in the framework of its Joint Deployment Plan (JDP).
Member States (MS) pool their control and inspection capabilities to jointly implement control, monitoring and surveillance activities.
The objective of the control campaign is to ensure compliance with the international and EU rules adopted for the conservation of the bluefin tuna.
Under this framework, EFCA has been also assisting member states in the training national inspectors in preparation of this campaign. This activity is bringing together Member States, the European Commission and EFCA, and counts on the resources of the eight Member States involved in the fishery – Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Spain. Inspection and surveillance at sea is carried both in EU waters and international waters and applies to EU and non-EU vessels.
The joint control, inspection and surveillance activities are co-ordinated through EFCA co-ordination centre with the participation of experts from the eight Member States involved in the fishery. Overall, inspection and surveillance strategy and daily recommendations are provided on the basis of the data and information received by national authorities and ICCAT in the context of the Joint Scheme of International Inspection.
The EU fleet consists of 66 active purse seiners and bluefin tuna farms in three Member States.
The bluefin tuna purse seine season starts for the capture, live transport and caging for farming purposes of this species started on 26th May. Altogether, 192 purse seine vessels under EU and third country flags will be operating until 1st July in the Mediterranean.
This species has been subject to new management and control measures adopted in 2021 by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the fishery is subject to Joint Scheme of International Inspection in international waters.
