Article 16 By-catchesF1
United Kingdom
By-catches of bluefin tuna caught by fishing boats in waters of the United Kingdom zone or by UK fishing boats in waters of the ICCAT Convention area must—
where reasonably possible, in derogation from Article 15(1) of Regulation 1380/2013 (landing obligation), be returned alive unharmed to the sea, or
for dead bluefin tuna retained on board, be stored clearly separate from any other fish species.
In derogation from Article 15(1) of Regulation 1380/2013, fishing boats fishing in waters of the United Kingdom zone or UK fishing boats fishing in waters of the ICCAT Convention area must not retain on board by-catches of bluefin tuna in excess of 20% of the live weight of total catches retained on board the fishing boat at the end of each fishing trip.
By-catches of bluefin tuna caught by UK fishing boats in the ICCAT Convention area which are retained on board must not be used for direct human consumption unless the boat is authorised to sell by-catches of bluefin tuna in its licence granted under section 15 of the Fisheries Act 2020 and sufficient catch quota is still available
Whether by-catches of bluefin tuna are discarded or retained on board, they must all be counted against catch quota.