Two years after the publication of the European Control Regulation Implementing act on the margin of tolerance, the European Commission listed Port Victoria in the Seychelles, where European tropical tuna purse seiners land and operate, as meeting the strict conditions required to apply the margin of tolerance derogation under the revised Fisheries Control Regulation.
‘The European Commission, together with France, Spain and Italy, has carried out a thorough assessment of the Seychellois control system and port organisation. Seychellois operators, including Socomep, also made remarkable efforts to obtain the ISO 17020A accreditation required under the European regulation in record time, paving the way for this recognition,’ said Anne-France Mattlet, director of Europêche Tuna Group.
‘This is excellent news for the European fleet. It provides greater legal certainty for operators and ensures that the specific realities of the tropical tuna fishery are properly taken into account, while maintaining the highest standards of fisheries control.
The revised European Fisheries Control Regulation recognises the specific operational realities of the tropical tuna purse seine fishery while maintaining a 10% margin of tolerance between all catch estimates recorded on board and all quantities verified after landing.
This derogation does not weaken fisheries control. The fleet is subject to 100% independent observer coverage, exact weights by species are recorded at the point of sale, and all declarations are rigorously cross-checked by competent authorities before catch certificates are issued.
‘The European Commission’s decision recognises Port Victoria as a port where robust landing controls are in place, in line with the high standards set by the European Union,’ said Europêche Tuna Group president Xavier Leduc.
‘It also confirms, by extension, that the European fleet operating from Seychelles complies with these same high standards. This recognition rewards Seychelles’ long-term investment in transparency and fisheries control, ensuring a sustainable and high standard framework for European and Seychellois vessels.’
