# Regulation (EU) No 1236/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2010 laying down a scheme of control and enforcement applicable in the area covered by the Convention on future multilateral cooperation in the North-East Atlantic fisheries and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 2791/1999, Article 20: Inspection procedure

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

1. NEAFC inspectors shall not board any fishing vessel without prior notice being transmitted by radio to that vessel or without that vessel being given the appropriate signal using the International Code of Signals, including the identity of the inspection platform; however, it shall not be necessary for such notice to be acknowledged as received.
2. NEAFC inspectors shall have the authority to examine all relevant areas, decks and rooms of the fishing vessels, catch (whether processed or not), nets or other gear, equipment, and any relevant documents which they deem necessary to verify compliance with the conservation and management measures adopted by NEAFC and to question the master or a person designated by the master.
3. The fishing vessel to be boarded shall not be required to stop or manoeuvre when fishing, shooting or hauling. The NEAFC inspectors may order that the hauling of the fishing gear be interrupted or delayed until they have boarded the fishing vessel but may not do so in any event more than 30 minutes after the fishing vessel has received the signal referred to in paragraph 1.
4. Masters of inspection platforms shall ensure that they manoeuvre at a safe distance from the fishing vessels in accordance with good seamanship.
5. NEAFC inspectors may instruct a fishing vessel to delay its entry into or exit from the Regulatory Area for up to 6 hours from the time of transmission by the fishing vessel of the reports referred to in Article 9(1)(a) and (c).
6. The duration of an inspection shall not exceed 4 hours, or the time it takes to haul in the net and to inspect the net and the catch, whichever is longer. Where an infringement is detected the NEAFC inspectors may stay on board for the time necessary for the completion of the measures provided for in Article 29(1)(b).
7. In special circumstances relating to the size of a fishing vessel and the quantities of fish retained on board, the duration of the inspection may exceed the limits laid down in paragraph 6. In such a situation, NEAFC inspectors shall under no circumstances stay on board the fishing vessel longer than the time required to complete the inspection. The reasons for exceeding the limit laid down in paragraph 6 shall be recorded in the inspection report referred to in paragraph 9.
8. No more than two NEAFC inspectors assigned by a fisheries administration must board a fishing vessel of another Contracting Party. In carrying out their inspection, the NEAFC inspectors may request the master to provide any assistance which is required. NEAFC inspectors shall not interfere with the master’s ability to communicate with the authorities of the flag state during the boarding and inspection.
9. Each inspection shall be documented by the completion of an inspection report in the format established in accordance with Article 50(2). The master may add his comments to the inspection report which shall be signed by the NEAFC inspectors at the end of the inspection. A copy of the inspection report shall be given to the master of the fishing vessel. A copy of each inspection report shall be transmitted without delay to the flag state of the inspected vessel and to ... the NEAFC Secretary. The original or a certified copy of each inspection report shall be forwarded on request to the flag state of the inspected vessel.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2010/1236/article/20 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2010-1236/article-20
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.