I 
(Acts whose publication is obligatory)  
 
COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1966/2006 
of 21 December 2006 
on electronic recording and reporting of fishing activities 
and on means of remote sensing 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 37 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament, 30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 409/1
Whereas: 
(1) Regulation (EC) No 2371/20021 establishes a framework designed to ensure the 
conservation and the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common 
Fisheries Policy. 
(2) Objectives of conservation and sustainable exploitation of the fisheries resources are 
achieved through conditions governing access to waters and resources, namely by limiting 
catches and fishing effort and by adopting technical measures related to fishing techniques and gears and sizes of catches. 
(3) Therefore, in order to soundly manage fishing opportunities and in order to achieve these 
objectives, there is a need to monitor fisheries activities through the most appropriate 
means. Control on quantities caught is mainly carried out by collecting information on 
catches, landings, transhipments, transports and sales, while control on fishing effort is 
mainly carried out by collecting information on the characteristics of the vessel, time spent 
on fishing and gears used. Furthermore, remote control technologies enable fisheries 
control authorities to monitor the presence of vessels in a given area. The combination of 
all these means increases the accuracy of the information. 
(4) Articles 22(1) and 23(3) of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 respectively provide that the 
Council is to decide in 2004 on the obligation to electronically record and transmit relevant 
information relating to fishing activities, including landing or transhipments of catches and 
sales note, and on the obligation to set up a means of remote sensing. 
                                                
 
1 OJ L 358, 31.12.2002, p. 59. L 409/2 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006
(5) Pilot projects on electronic recording and reporting as well as on remote sensing have been 
carried out during recent years by Member States and other countries. They have proved to 
be valid and cost-effective. 
(6) Article 6 of Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 establishing a control system applicable to the 
Common Fisheries Policy1 foresees that the masters of Community fishing vessels shall 
keep a logbook of their operations. 
(7) Article 22 of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 stipulates that fisheries products shall only be 
sold from a fishing vessel to registered buyers or at registered auctions. 
(8) Article 9 of Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 foresees that auction centres or other bodies or 
persons authorised by Member States which are responsible for the first marketing of 
fishery products shall, upon first sale, submit a sales note to the competent authorities in 
whose territory the first marketing takes place. 
(9) Article 8 of Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 foresees that the master of each Community fishing vessel having an overall length equal to, or more than, 10 m, or his representative, 
shall after each trip and within 48 hours of landing submit a declaration to the competent 
authorities of the Member State where the landing takes place.  
                                                
 
1 OJ L 261, 20.10.1993, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 768/2005 
(OJ L 128, 21.5.2005, p. 1). 30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 409/3
(10) Article 9 of Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 also foresees that where the first marketing of 
fisheries products does not take place in the Member State where the products have been 
landed, the Member State responsible for monitoring the first marketing shall ensure that a 
copy of the sales note is submitted to the authorities responsible for monitoring the landing 
of the products concerned as soon as possible. 
(11) Article 19 of Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 requires Member States to create computerised 
databases and to establish a validation system comprising in particular cross-checks and verification of data. 
(12) Article 9 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 also foresees that a take-over 
declaration which is the responsibility of the holder of this declaration shall be submitted to 
the competent authorities when the products are not offered for sale or are intended for sale 
at a later date. 
(13) Remote sensing should only be used where there is clear evidence of a cost benefit in 
relation to the use only of traditional control means such as fishery patrol vessels and 
aircraft in the detection of fishing vessels operating illegally. 
(14) Conditions under which electronic recording and reporting, as well as means of remote 
sensing, are to be used for control purpose should therefore be established. 
(15) The formats which national competent authorities will use to exchange information for 
control and inspection purposes should be defined in detailed implementing rules. L 409/4 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006
(16) A Member State should be free to decide on the formats for transmission of data used by 
vessels flying its flag.  
(17) Investments related to implementation of control technologies are eligible under the 
framework of the Council Regulation (EC) No 861/2006 establishing Community financial 
measures for the implementation of the common fisheries policy and in the area of the Law 
of the Sea1. 
(18) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in 
accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission
2, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:  
                                                 
1 OJ L 160, 14.6.2006, p. 1. 
2 OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23. Decision as last amended by Decision 2006/512/EC (OJ L 200, 
22.7.2006, p. 11). 30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 409/5
Article 1 
Electronic recording and reporting 
1. The master of a Community fishing vessel shall record by electronic means information 
relating to fishing activities, which he is required to record in a logbook and a transhipment 
declaration as defined in the relevant Community legislation, and shall send it by electronic 
means to the competent authority of the Flag State.  
2. The master of a Community fishing vessel or his representative shall record by electronic 
means information relating to fishing activities, which is required to be recorded in a landing declaration as defined in the relevant Community legislation, and shall send it by 
electronic means to the competent authority of the Flag State. 
3. The first sales note and, where appropriate, take-over declaration shall be electronically 
recorded and transmitted to the competent authorities in whose territory the first marketing 
takes place by a registered buyer, a registered auction or other entity or person authorised 
by Member States that are responsible for the first sale of fishery products. 
4. Member States shall have the necessary administrative and technical structures enabling 
them to receive, treat, cross-check and transmit, by electronic means, the information 
contained, at a minimum, in the logbook, transhipment declaration, landing declaration, 
sales note and take-over declaration referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3. L 409/6 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006
Article 2  
Periodicity and authenticity of data 
1. The master of the fishing vessel shall transmit relevant logbook data at least once a day. He 
shall also send such data at the request of the competent authority of the Flag State. He 
shall in any event transmit the relevant logbook data after the last fishing operation has 
been completed and before entering into port. 
2. Logbook, transhipment declaration and landing declaration data recorded by the competent 
authority of the Flag State shall be deemed authentic under conditions established under national law. 
3. First sales note and take-over declaration information and data recorded by the competent 
authority of a Member State shall be deemed authentic under conditions established under 
national law. 
Article 3 
Phasing in 
1. The obligation to electronically record and transmit the data mentioned in Article 1 
paragraphs 1 and 2 shall apply to masters of fishing vessels exceeding 24 m length overall 
within 24 months of the entry into force of the implementing rules referred to in Article 5 
and to masters of fishing vessels exceeding 15 m length overall within 42 months  of entry 
into force of the implementing rules. 30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 409/7
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, a Member State may oblige or authorise, as 
of the date falling 12  months after the entry into force of the implementing rules referred to 
in Article 5, masters of fishing vessels referred to in paragraph 1 and of 15 m or less length 
overall flying its flag to electronically record and transmit the data mentioned in Article 1 
paragraphs 1 and 2. 
3. The competent authorities of a Coastal Member State shall accept electronic reports 
received from the Flag Member State containing the data from fishing vessels referred to in paragraph 2. 
4. The obligation to electronically record and transmit sales notes and, where appropriate, 
take-over declarations shall apply from 1 January 2009  to registered buyers, registered 
auctions, or other entities or persons authorised by Member States that are responsible for the first sale of fishery products with an annual financial turnover in first sales of fishery 
products in excess of 400 000 EUR. 
Article 4 
Remote sensing 
As from 1 January 2009  and where there is clear evidence of a cost benefit in relation to the 
traditional control means in the detection of fishing vessels operating illegally, Member States shall 
ensure that their Fisheries Monitoring Centres possess the technical capacity allowing them to 
match the positions derived by remotely sensed images sent to earth by satellites or other equivalent 
systems  with the data received by the vessel monitoring system, in order to assess the presence of 
fishing vessels in a given area. L 409/8 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006
Article 5 
Detailed rules 
Detailed rules for the implementation of this Regulation shall be adopted in accordance with the 
procedure referred to Article 30(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002. These rules shall lay down in 
particular: 
1) The conditions under which national competent authorities will exchange information for 
control and inspection purposes while ensuring confidentiality and ensuring that coastal 
Member States can access this information. 
2) The content of the messages to be transmitted.  
3) The formats which national competent authorities will use to exchange information for 
control and inspection purposes.  
4) The conditions for the recording and submission of sales note and takeover declaration 
data. 
5) Provisions that allow a Member State to extend the electronic reporting obligation to 
fishing vessels as foreseen in Article 3 paragraph 2. 
6) Exemptions from the requirements to submit electronic landing declarations and conditions 
and notification requirements to inform the Coastal state of such exemptions. 
7) Exemptions, in order to reduce the administrative burden on operators, from certain control 
provisions in Community rules for fishing vessels that electronically record and transmit 
the information referred to in Article 1 paragraphs 1 and 2. 30.12.2006 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 409/9
8) Provisions for recording and transmitting data mentioned in Article 1 in the case of 
technical failure. 
Article 6 
Entry into force 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following that of its publication in the 
Official Journal of the European Union. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 21 December 2006. 
 For the Council 
 The President 
 J. KORKEAOJA 
 L 409/10 EN Official Journal of the European Union 30.12.2006