Changes between two versions
What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report
From · draft committee report· 13 Nov 2025
on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Convention area of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), Regulation (EU) 2018/975 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) Convention Area, Regulation (EU) 2019/833 laying down conservation and enforcement measures applicable in the Regulatory Area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation, Regulation (EU) 2021/56 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Convention, Regulation (EU) 2022/2056 laying down conservation and management measures applicable in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention Area, Regulation (EU) 2022/2343 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Area of Competence, and Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 establishing a multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean
To · plenary report· 3 Mar 2026
on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Convention area of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), Regulation (EU) 2018/975 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) Convention Area, Regulation (EU) 2019/833 laying down conservation and enforcement measures applicable in the Regulatory Area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation, Regulation (EU) 2021/56 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Convention, Regulation (EU) 2022/2056 laying down conservation and management measures applicable in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention Area, Regulation (EU) 2022/2343 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Area of Competence, and Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 establishing a multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean
AI:What changed, in short
Adds new prohibitions and reporting duties, including a ban on catching cetaceans by longline and purse seine vessels, a ban on fishing in silky shark pupping areas, and rules on bluefin tuna margins of error.25293139 Changes reporting and notification duties for member states and the Commission on inspection vessels, vulnerable marine ecosystems, instrumented buoys and DFAD marking.9122132 Adds recitals on food sovereignty, socio-economic impact, strict transposition and delegated acts, and requires the Commission to engage with Parliament and the Council and assess the transposition process every three years.123 Extends the one-specimen retention limit for South Atlantic shortfin mako to smaller vessels, changes the time format to 23:59, adds a definition of electronic monitoring, and drops a sentence from the explanatory statement.6192341 The other changes are formal or wording: corrected citations, cross-references, punctuation and rephrased provisions.4578
21 changes of substance · 7 formal · 13 of wording only
Written by AI from the two texts only · read the changes before relying on it · 18 Sept 2026 · Report a problem
+28 added · −4 removed · 33 changed paragraphs, packaging included.
Part 8 of 11: Paragraphs 421–480
16 unchanged paragraphs
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 3, Article 5a – paragraph 1: 1. Member States may decide to prohibit their flag vessels from fishing for bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack tuna in the Area for a minimum period of 31 consecutive days. Vessels of less than 12 metres in overall length fishing inside the EEZ of a Member State may be excluded.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 3, Article 5a – paragraph 2: 2. Member States which decide to implement the fishing closure shall communicate the period chosen for the fishing closure to the Commission no later than 15 December each year. The Commission shall send that information to the IOTC Secretariat no later than 31 December.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 4, Article 8a – paragraph 1: 1. Only purse seine vessels and associated supply vessels are allowed to deploy drifting FADs (DFADs) and instrumented buoys.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 4, Article 8a – paragraph 7: 7. Member States shall draw up a national management plan for the use of DFADs by their fishing vessels. The management plan shall follow the guidelines set out in Annex 2 - A.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 4, Article 8a – paragraph 8: 8. Member States shall, without delay, submit to the Commission the management plan referred to in paragraph 7, as well as any subsequent amendments to the plan. The Commission shall forward the Member States management plans to the IOTC Secretariat, no later than 75 days before the IOTC annual meeting, as well as subsequent amendments to those plans.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 5, Article 8b – paragraph 2 – point a: (a) as of 1 January 2026, no longer deploy any DFADs of category V and only use DFADs of biodegradability categories I, II III, and IV as defined in Annex 3b;
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 5, Article 8b – paragraph 2 – point b: (b) as of 1 January 2027, use only DFADs of categories I and II, as defined in Annex 3b; and
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 5, Article 8b – paragraph 2 – point c: (c) as of 1 January 2029, use only DFADs of category I, as defined in Annex 3b.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Change 32
Removed:Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 6, Article 8c – paragraph 2: 2. Union fishing vessels shall annually submit the number of instrumented buoys assigned to them by the end of each calendar year, including instrumented buoys which have been lost, or abandoned and/or discarded by 1° by 1° grid area and month strata and DFAD type to their flag Member State. The information shall be stratified by fleet, year, month and 1° by 1° grid, and expressed as the average daily number of active instrumented buoys in each stratum. Member States shall send that information to the Commission in accordance with Article 51(2).
Added:Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 5, Article 8b – paragraph 4: 4. Once established the IOTC DFAD identifier process and not before 1 January 2026, DFADs shall be permanently marked with a specific IOTC DFAD unique identifier as provided by the IOTC secretariat. The marking shall be separate from the marking of the instrumented buoy.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Change 33
Added:Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 6, Article 8c – paragraph 2: 2. Union fishing vessels shall annually submit the number of instrumented buoys assigned to them by the end of each calendar year, including instrumented buoys which have been lost, or abandoned and/or discarded by 1° by 1° grid area and month strata and DFAD type to their flag Member State. The Member State shall stratify the information by fleet, year, month and 1° by 1° grid, and express it as the average daily number of active instrumented buoys in each stratum. Member States shall send that information to the Commission in accordance with Article 51(2).
Added:Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 6, Article 8c – paragraph 3: 3. Until the Commission notifies the Member States of the entry into force of the IOTC DFAD register, Member States shall ensure that their flagged vessels record in the appropriate logbook the date, time and geographical coordinates (decimal degrees) of deployment for each instrumented buoy, associated with its instrumented buoy unique reference number.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Change 34
Changed:Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 6, Article 8c – paragraph 4 – introductory part: 4. Once the IOTC DFAD identifier process is established, the Commission notifies the Member States of the entry into force of the IOTC DFAD register, buoy owners shall insert the following information concerning the deployment of instrumented buoysbuoys.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 6, Article 8c – paragraph 4 – point a: (a) unique instrumented buoy reference number that allows the identification of its buoy owner;
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Change 35
Added:Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 6, Article 8c – paragraph 5: 5. Member States shall include buoys deployed before the entry into force of the DFAD Register and still active on 1 January 2026 or on the date immediately before the DFAD Register enters into force.
Added:Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
14 unchanged paragraphs
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 6, Article 8c – paragraph 6: 6. The buoy owner shall notify, through the DFAD Register and within 24 hours of activation, the IOTC Secretariat and its flag Member State when an instrumented buoy is activated, together with the IOTC DFAD unique identifier as provided by the IOTC secretariat.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 6, Article 8c – paragraph 10: 10. Member States may submit a motivated request for access to the information listed in paragraph 4(c), (d) and (j) pertaining to DFADs deployed by other Member States or CPC to the Commission.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 6, Article 8c – paragraph 11: 11. In case another Member State or CPC requests access to the information listed in paragraph 4(c), (d) and (j) pertaining to DFADs deployed by a Member State, the Commission shall forward this request to the Member State concerned. In the event that another CPC requests the information, the Commission shall forward the request only after asking the requesting CPC for the reasons for the request. The Member State concerned shall provide to the Commission within 20 days its consent to provide the information in paragraph 4(j) or its motivated refusal.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 7, Article 9 – paragraph 1: 1. Union fishing vessels shall record fishing activities in association with anchored FADs (AFADs) using the specific data elements set out in Annex 3. Member States shall send that information to the Commission in accordance with Article 51(2).
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 7, Article 9 – paragraph 2: 2. Member States shall draw up a national management plan for the use of AFADs by their fishing vessels. The management plan shall follow the guidelines set out in Annex 2 - B.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 7, Article 9 – paragraph 4: 4. Member States shall undertake sea inspections to ensure that the AFADs deployed are marked and constructed in accordance with Article 9a.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 7, Article 9 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1 – introductory part: Member States shall report to the Commission when a new AFAD is deployed in Union waters, within 15 days of the deployment, with the following information:
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Change 36
Changed:Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 7, Article 9 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1 – point c: (c) Unique National Identification number, referred to in paragraph 3.
16 unchanged paragraphs
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 7, Article 9 – paragraph 6: 6. No later than 75 days before the IOTC annual meeting, Member States shall submit a progress report on the implementation of the management plan for the use of AFADs, and, if necessary, a review of the initially submitted management plan. The progress report shall include a register of deployed, lost, abandoned, and discarded AFADs and the number and outcome of inspections referred in paragraph 3.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 8, Article 9a – paragraph 3: 3. Member States and Union fishing vessels shall ensure that the nature and profile of the sea bottom is taken into account when choosing a site for deploying or replacing deployed AFADs. Where possible, sites with steep slopes shall be avoided, in order to minimise the risk of loss.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 11, Article 22 – paragraph 1: 1. Union fishing vessels shall use mitigation measures to reduce the levels of seabird bycatch across all fishing areas, seasons and fisheries. In the area south of 25 degrees South latitude, all longline vessels shall use at least two of the three mitigation measures set out in Annex 4 or, alternatively, use only hook-shielding devices, and shall comply with the minimum standards for those measures. The design and deployment of bird scaring lines shall comply with the additional specifications set out in Annex 5.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 12, Article 30 – paragraph 4: 4. Provided that the minimum mandatory Regional Observer Scheme data reporting standards20 are met, Member States may complement or substitute the minimum human observer coverage provided for in paragraph 1 by means of an electronic monitoring system (EMS). EMS shall be complemented by port sampling and/or another data collection methods approved by the IOTC when required.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 12, Article 30 – paragraph 5: 5. Member States who choose to implement EMS to partially or fully meet the minimum coverage set out in paragraph 1 shall ensure that their national electronic monitoring programme, their electronic monitoring system and data standards follow the requirements set out in Annex 11 for the purpose of IOTC’s Regional Electronic Monitoring Program (REMP).
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 12, Article 30 – paragraph 6 – point a: (a) ensure that a Vessel Monitoring Plan (VMP) as set out in part 3 of Annex 11 is developed for each vessel equipped with EM equipment and delivered to the Member State’s competent authorities.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 12, Article 30 – paragraph 6 – point b: (b) ensure that EM equipment is installed in those vessels in accordance with the VMP to collect the required data and to comply with the coverage objectives agreed by the Commission.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2343
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point 12, Article 30 – paragraph 6 – point e: (e) document the roles and responsibilities of competent authorities and vessel owners and crew with respect to inter alia installing and maintaining equipment, routine cleaning of cameras, sending storage devices, access to EM records and EM data, responses to mechanical or technical failure of EMS.