Article 4 Benchmarks for port inspections

The benchmarks for port inspections as referred to in Article 9(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 shall consist of the following criteria:

1. (a)

   the species concerned are subject to a management or recovery plan;

2. (b)

   the fishing vessel is suspected of not implementing applicable provisions on VMS according to F1Article 9 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009;

3. (c)

   the fishing vessel has not been controlled at F2a port in the United Kingdom in the last 3 months;

4. (d)

   the fishing vessel has not been controlled by F3a fisheries administration in the last 6 months;

5. (e)

   the fishing vessel is not on the list of establishments from which imports of specified products of animal origin are permitted, as set out in Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council^f1;

6. (f)

   importation, exportation or trade in fishery products obtained from species of high commercial value;

7. (g)

   introduction of new kinds of fishery products or discovery of new trade patterns;

8. (h)

   inconsistencies between the trade patterns and the known fishing activities of a flag F4state in particular in respect of species, volumes or characteristics of its fishing fleet;

9. (i)

   inconsistencies between the trade patterns and the known fishing-related activities of a third country in particular in respect of the characteristics of its processing industry or its trade in fishery products;

10. (j)

    trade pattern not justified in terms of economic criteria;

11. (k)

    involvement of a newly established operator;

12. (l)

    significant and sudden increase in trade volume for a certain species;

13. (m)

    submission of copies of catch certificates accompanying processing statements according to Annex IV of Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008, for instance when the catch has been split during production;

14. (n)

    prior notification, required under Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008, not transmitted at the proper time or information incomplete;

15. (o)

    inconsistencies between catch data declared by the operator and other information available to the competent authority;

16. (p)

    vessel or vessel owner suspected of being or having been involved in IUU fishing activities;

17. (q)

    vessel having recently changed name, flag or registration number;

18. (r)

    flag state not notified according to Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 or information available on possible irregularities in the validation of catch certificates by a given flag state (e.g. stamps or validation seal from a competent authority lost, stolen or forged);

19. (s)

    presumed deficiencies in the control system of a flag state;

20. (t)

    operators concerned who have already been involved in illegal activities constituting a potential risk in respect of IUU fishingF5;

21. (u)

    F6the fishing vessel has been denied entry or use of port in accordance with the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, concluded in the framework of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

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