Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 37 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission^f1,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament^f2,

Whereas:

The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, hereinafter called ‘the Convention’, was approved by Decision 81/691/EEC^f3 and entered into force with regard to the Community on 21 May 1982.

The Convention provides a framework for regional cooperation on the conservation and management of Antarctic marine fauna and flora through the establishment of a Commission for the conservation of Antarctic marine living resources, hereinafter called ‘CCAMLR’, and the adoption of conservation measures which become binding on the Contracting Parties.

At its eighteenth Annual Meeting in November 1999, CCAMLR adopted conservation measure 170/XVIII establishing a catch documentation scheme for Dissostichus spp.

The introduction of a catch documentation scheme for Dissostichus spp. is intended to improve monitoring of international trade in the species and to identify the origins of all Dissostichus spp. imported from or exported to the territories of the CCAMLR Contracting Parties.

The catch document should also make it possible to determine whether Dissostichus spp. has been harvested in the Convention area in a manner consistent with the CCAMLR conservation measures and to collect catch data in order to facilitate the scientific evaluation of stocks.

Conservation measure 170/XVIII became binding on all Contracting Parties on 9 May 2000. The Community should therefore implement it.

In order to enable CCAMLR to achieve its objective of conserving the species, the obligation to present a catch document should be applied in respect of all imports of Dissostichus spp.

The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission^f4,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: