Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/837 of 7 February 2025 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the management of bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean

1 Each Member State with a bluefin tuna quota shall establish an annual fishing capacity management plan. In that plan, the Member State shall adjust the number of catching vessels and traps in a way that ensures that the fishing capacity is commensurate with the fishing opportunities allocated to catching vessels and traps for the relevant quota period.

2 Each Member State concerned shall adjust the fishing capacity using the parameters provided for in the applicable Union act for the allocation of fishing opportunities. The adjustment of Union fishing capacity for purse seine vessels shall be limited to a maximum variation of 20 % compared to the baseline fishing capacity as declared to ICCAT in 2018.

3 By way of derogation from paragraph 1, Member States may increase the number of purse seine vessels, provided that this increase results from a conversion from other bluefin tuna fleets pertaining to the Member State requesting this derogation, the fishing capacity remains commensurate with available fishing opportunities, and that, overall, the final Union fishing capacity, between purse seiners and the fleet from which the conversion is made, does not represent a capacity increase with respect to the precedent year.

4 Member States requesting the derogation provided for in paragraph 3 shall include the relevant details of the requested fleet conversion in their annual fishing capacity plans.

5 For the purposes of the derogation provided for in paragraph 3, the ratio for converting fleets shall be based on the 2009 catch rates provided by the SCRS.

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.