COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 28.05.1996 
COM(96) 232 final 
96/O140(CNS) 
Proposal for a 
COUNCIL REGULATION (BO 
amending Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 establishing a control system 
applicable to the Common Fisheries Policy 
(presented by the Commission) 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL 
AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 
ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 
A SATELLITE-BASED VESSEL MONITORING SYSTEM 
FOR COMMUNITY FISHING VESSELS 

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 
The present proposal for a Council Regulation amende Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 
establishing a control system applicable to the Common Fisheries Policy (hereinafter referred to 
as "Control Regulation"), with a view to require the Member States to establish satellite-based 
fishing vessel monitoring systems. 
The 1992 Commission proposal for a new Control Regulation provided for the implementation of 
a continuous position monitoring system of fishing vessels using satellite communications in order 
to improve effectiveness of fisheries control. However, at that stage, the Council did not accept 
the Commission proposal. Instead, in the framework of an overall compromise the Council and 
the Commission agreed to legal provisions which required: 
- Member States to carry out pilot projects in order to assess the technology to be used for the 
purpose of fisheries control, 
- to postpone a decision, until June 1996, on when, whether and to what extent a continuous 
position monitoring system shall be implemented for fishing vessels. 
All Member States concerned have carried out, from July 1994 to December 1995, pilot projects 
for satellite monitoring, involving up to 350 Community vessels. The implementation of pilot 
projects have demonstrated that satellite-based continuous monitoring of fishing vessels will 
greatly improve the effectiveness of fisheries control. 
The conclusions of the implementation of the pilot projects are reflected in the "Report on the 
establishment of a satellite-based vessel monitoring system for Community fishing vessels". This 
report is based on the reports submitted by each Member State. 
Taking into account the experience obtained, the present proposal for a Council Regulation 
amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93, provides for the implementation by Member 
States of satellite-based continuous monitoring systems for tracking fishing vessels flying their flag 
and which enable them to communicate to the Member States in which waters they are carrying 
out their activities, the localisation of its vessels. It is provided that such monitoring applies to 
I 
all fishing vessels exceeding a certain lenght whilst this obligation should be implemented 
gradually in the period 1997-1999. Initially vessels operating in sensitive fisheries should be 
monitored whilst finally all vessels should be covered. Furthermore, the present proposal contains 
provisions which shall ensure cooperation between the Member States concerned. 
Finally, in accordance with Article 3 of Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93, it falls to the Council to 
adopt a decision before 1 July 1996. 
PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL REGULATION ^£ I © Wofr VJÎ^ 
amending Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 establishing a control system 
applicable to the Common Fisheries Policy 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular 
Article 43 thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ', 
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament2, 
whereas fishstocks have been overexploited in recent years and therefore significant efforts 
on surveillance and control of fishing activities are required to remedy this situation; 
whereas there is a need to use cost-effective measures and to improve availability and 
accuracy of effort data, such as by introducing satellite based vessel monitoring systems; 
whereas, pursuant to Article 3 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 4 establishing a 
control system applicable to the Common Fisheries Policy, the Council can decide for a 
continuous position monitoring system to be established for Community fishing vessels; 
O.J. No L 261, 20.10.1993, p. 1 
H 
whereas experience gained in the application of pilot projects carried out by the Member 
States in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No 897/94 5, laying down detailed 
rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 as regards pilot projects 
relating to continuous position monitoring of Community fishing vessels, has demonstrated 
that several satellite-based Vessel Monitoring Systems can be used to determine the position 
of fishing vessels; 
whereas satellite-based continuous monitoring of certain categories of Community fishing 
vessels will improve effort management, surveillance of sensitive areas, crosschecking of 
logbooks, and monitoring of landings, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 
1. Article 3 of Council Regulation No 2847/93 is replaced by the following: 
"Article 3 
1. Each Member State shall establish a satellite-based vessel monitoring system, hereinafter 
referred to as "VMS", to monitor the position of Community fishing vessels. 
The VMS shall apply no later than 1 January 1997 to all Community fishing vessels 
belonging to at least one of the following categories regardless of their length : 
vessels operating on the high seas, except in the Mediterranean Sea, 
vessels operating in the waters of third countries, 
vessels catching fish for reduction to meal and oil, 
vessels using driftnets longer than one kilometer, 
as well as, no later than 1 January 1999, to all other Community fishing vessels exceeding 
15 metres in length overall. 
O.J. No L 104, 23.04.1994, p. 18 
r 
2. Member States shall ensure that satellite-tracking devices be installed and fully operational 
on Community fishing vessels flying their flag to which VMS shall apply. The satellite-
tracking device shall enable a fishing vessel to communicate by satellite to its flag State, 
its geographical position and where applicable the effort reports referred to in Article 19b 
below. In the case of force majeure relevant information shall be communicated by 
radio via a radio station approved under Community rules for the reception of such 
information. 
Member States shall conduct an annual inspection of the satellite-tracking devices 
installed on board the fishing vessels flying their flag. 
3. The masters of the Community fishing vessels to which VMS applies shall ensure that the 
satellite-tracking devices are at any time fully operational and that the information referred 
to in paragraph 2 is transmitted. 
4. Member States shall establish and operate Fisheries Monitoring Centres, hereinafter 
referred to as "FMC", which shall monitor fishing activities and fishing effort. The FMC 
shall be operational no later than 1 January 1997. 
The FMC of a particular Member State shall monitor the fishing vessels flying its flag, 
regardless of the waters in which they are operating or the port they are in as well as 
Community fishing vessels flying the flag of other Member States operating in the waters 
under the sovereignty or the jurisdiction of that particular Member State. 
5. Where its fishing vessels are operating in waters subject to the sovereignty or jurisdiction 
of another Member State, the flag Member State shall ensure immediate communication 
of spécifie data related to their position by its FMC to the FMC of the coastal Member 
State concerned. The flag Member State shall be discharged of this obligation if the 
fishing vessels flying its flag transmit directly all relevant information to the FMC of the 
Coastal Member State concerned, on the basis of a protocol to be agreed upon between 
the flag Member State and the coastal Member State, which shall be transmitted to the 
Commission. 
/ 
6. Each flag Member State shall appoint the competent authorities responsible for the FMC 
and shall take the appropriate measures to ensure that its FMC has the proper staffing 
resources and is equipped with computer hard- and software enabling automatic data 
processing and electronic data transmission. Member States shall provide for back-up and 
recovery procedures in case of system failure. 
Member States may operate a joint FMC. 
7. The flag Member State shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the data received 
from its fishing vessels are recorded in computer-readable form for a period of three 
years. The Commission shall have direct access to these computer files at any time. Due 
respect shall be given to the prevailing rules concerning data protection. 
8. Detailed rules for the implementation of this Article shall be decided in accordance with 
the procedure laid down in Article 36. " 
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following its publication in the 
Official Journal of the European Communities. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 
Done at For the Council 
The President 
1 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL 
AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 
ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 
A SATELLITE-BASED VESSEL MONITORING SYSTEM 
FOR COMMUNITY FISHING VESSELS 
S 
Table of contents 
I. Introduction 
1. Background 
2. The International Context 
II. The pilot projects 
1. Evaluation of the pilot projects 
2. The issue of data exchange 
3. Legal and Evidential Issues 
III. The appropriateness of a satellite-based VMS for fishery enforcement 
and management 
Annex 
/ 
INTRODUCTION 
For many and many generations, the stars have been the sole means of 
navigation over land and on sea. Still in use today as back-up, celestial 
navigation has been gradually complemented by other navigation techniques. 
Over the past decades, the world has seen a revolutionary transition to space-
based systems. Satellite navigation is probably one of the better known 
applications of space technology. 
Today, satellite-based systems are finding new applications in many other 
areas including air (traffic control systems, approach and landing 
systems, ...), road (private transport, truck management, ...), rail and survey 
sectors. The number of users of these systems and the economic benefits 
increase continuously, due to liberalisation and privatisation initiatives. The 
technologies developed in different areas can be applied to fisheries 
monitoring, control and surveillance, as will be demonstrated hereafter. 
This report is made in response to a formal obligation pursuant to Article 11 
of Commission Regulation (EC) No 897/94 which requires the Commission 
to present a report to the Council regarding the pilot projects carried out by 
the Member States relating to the continuous position monitoring of 
Community fishing vessels^). It is partly based on the final reports of the 
Member States, which were unfortunately transmitted with delay. 
() OJ No L 104/18 
yto 
1. Background 
In 1992, the Commission proposed that a continuous position-monitoring 
system using satellite communications should be introduced for fishing 
vessels, in order to improve the effectiveness of surveillance of fishing 
activities^). 
Subsequently, the Council decided that Member States were to carry out 
pilot projects, in cooperation with the Commission, in order to assess the 
technology to be used and the vessels to be included in the above mentioned 
system (as provided for by Article 3 of Council Regulation (EEC) 
No 2847/93 establishing a control system applicable to the common fisheries 
policy, of 12 October 1993, hereafter called "the Control Regulation"). 
Commission Regulation (EC) No 897/94 laid down detailed rules for the 
pilot projects. Thirteen EU Member States (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, 
Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, 
Sweden and the United Kingdom) have carried out pilot projects for satellite 
monitoring, involving up to 350 vessels throughout the Community. 
Three different, commercially available, satellite-based vessel monitoring 
systems (Argos, Euteltracs and Inmarsat) were used to track the movements 
of the participating vessels. Several Member States have tested more than 
one of these systems. 
The pilot projects were funded with ECU 10 million from the Community 
budget. The projects started in July 1994 and were due to end in June 1995. 
(') COM(92) 392 final 
sM 
On request of a number of Member States, whose projects were overdue, the 
projects were prolonged to December 1995. A number of Member States 
continue to use the systems as a means of improving and developing their 
understanding of this type of technology for fisheries enforcement and 
conservation purposes. 
The pilot projects were coordinated by the European Commission. The 
Commission regularly organised meetings of the Expert Group Fisheries 
Control with the national officials in charge in the Member States in order 
to monitor the progress of the projects. 
The Commission has also been conducting trials since 1992. It has been 
using its inspection vessel operating in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries 
Organisation (NAFO) Regulatory Area (i.e. international waters off 
Newfoundland) for this purpose. 
2. The International Context 
The management dilemma in commercial fisheries of reconciling the 
availability of limited fishery resources with the overcapacity in the catching 
sector has been compounded by the difficulties enforcement agencies face 
with monitoring large numbers of vessels spread over immense ocean areas. 
In recent years, many nations have resorted to technological innovations such 
as monitoring vessel locations by satellite as a means of improving the 
enforcement and effectiveness of their fishery management regimes. A 
number of examples are set out below. 
/K-
In April 1990, an international agreement among the United States of 
America, Canada and Japan required that satellite monitoring be placed on 
100% of the Japanese squid and large-mesh driftnet fishing vessels operating 
in the North Pacific in 1990. Similar agreements were reached between the 
U.S. and Korea and the U.S. and Taiwan. The U.S. has monitored the 
operations of nearly 800 fishing vessels on the high seas. More recently a 
score of U.S. longliners have been equipped with satellite surveillance 
devices in the Western Pacific pelagic longline fishery. The U.S. are at 
present preparing a scheme for two specific fisheries in the New England 
region (groundfish and scallops). 
On 1 January 1994, Australia officially implemented its first Vessel 
Monitoring System in a deep sea Orange Roughy trawl fishery with 
approximately 30 vessels. Further developments include extending the 
coverage of the system to Tuna longliners and Northern Prawn fishery 
trawlers for both position and catch reporting. 
Since 1 April 1994, New Zealand requires certain categories of vessels to 
carry and operate vessel monitoring equipment. At present around 200 
vessels are equipped. 
Several other countries worldwide have been conducting trials or are 
considering doing so: Argentina, Canada, Chile, French overseas territories 
(French Polynesia and New Caledonia), Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Morocco, 
Norway, Peru, Russia and Taiwan. 
Both the United Nations agreement for the implementation of the provisions 
of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982, relating 
yfz 
to the conservation and management of straddling fish stocks and highly 
migratory fish stocks and the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries 
make explicit reference to the use of vessel monitoring systems (VMS). 
The Bering Sea Convention foresees that each contracting party shall require 
its fishing vessels that fish for pollack in the convention area to use real-time 
satellite position-fixing transmitters while in the Bering Sea. Other regional 
organisations such as CCAMLR (Antarctic), ICCAT (Atlantic tuna), FFA 
(South Pacific) and NAFO (Northwest Atlantic) have also taken interest in 
the subject. NAFO Contracting Parties will carry out pilot projects involving 
35% of the fishing fleet operating in the NAFO Regulatory Area during 
1996/1997. 
On 21-22 November 1995, the Commission organised an International 
Symposium on Fisheries Enforcement in Madrid, Spain. The aim of the 
symposium was to consider the use of satellite-based technology for 
monitoring, control and surveillance. Thirteen Member States, four third 
countries, the FAO and a score of companies have participated. The 
symposium resulted in a useful exchange of information among participants. 
Experience outside the European Union has clearly indicated that although 
satellite monitoring has not replaced conventional enforcement methods, it 
has made them more efficient and effective. In particular, it has allowed 
enforcement agencies to identify problems on a priority basis. 
Other than the use of satellite technology for enforcement purposes there 
have been many satellite technology innovations that have helped fishermen 
to operate more efficiently. These applications have included the Global 
s* 
Positioning System (GPS) satellites that have allowed fishing vessels to 
immediately determine their position, course and speed. Other developments 
include satellite application of remote sensing to fisheries which has 
facilitated the precise location of highly productive biological zones of 
certain stocks. Furthermore, telecommunication satellites have improved 
inter-vessel communications for some fishing fleets and this saves search 
times in locating the optimal fishing sites as well as providing additional 
security in the event of emergency. 
H. THE PILOT PROJECTS 
Member States have carried out extensive trials with Vessel Monitoring 
Systems in the course of their respective projects. Globally, more than 300 
Community fishing vessels have been equipped with a blue box (30 Argos, 
60 Euteltracs and 175 Inmarsat, in addition to Portugal where MONICAP is 
operational with over one hundred vessels). In 1995, Finland and Sweden 
set up a joint pilot project with Denmark. Sweden because of the short time 
frame of their project did not however succeed in finding voluntary 
participant vessels. 
All Member States have tested GPS-INMARSAT. Only some Member States 
tested ARGOS and/or EUTELTRACS. In a complementary project, Greece 
has also tried out VHF/DSC data communication, the use of which is more 
limited to territorial waters. The United Kingdom has conducted trials with 
Automatic Position Recorders (APR), which store data onboard the fishing 
vessel without transmitting the information in real-time. 
M 
The Annex recapitulates the main facts about each project. 
J6 
1. Evaluation of the Pilot Projects 
This section summarises the principle findings of the Member State reports 
and the reflections of the Expert Group Fisheries Control which was 
convened regularly throughout the duration of the pilot projects. 
The pilot projects proved the reliability of real-time satellite position 
monitoring equipment on board fishing vessels and established that this type 
of technology will greatly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the 
existing aerial, surface and land based resources. 
Although the pilot projects in the Member States revealed a number of 
technical problems, they also clearly demonstrate that these could be resolved 
by a joint approach between the project managers and the system providers. 
It was particularly evident that satellite-based vessel monitoring technology 
has evolved considerably during the period of the project. This trend is set 
to continue. The further development of ready-to-use products as well as the 
improvement in satellite services will greatly assist the realisation of the full 
potential of a future operational system. 
The pilot project demonstrated that the quality, robustness and reliability of 
vessel equipment had improved significantly during the trial period. 
Ongoing technological progress will continue to offer new functionalities at 
a lower cost. Prices of mobile equipment are expected to drop significantly 
with the advent of low earth orbit satellite systems, and the liberalisation and 
privatisation policies should diminish telecommunication costs. Computer 
hard- and software is getting cheaper in general. The principle problem 
encountered was the loss of data through system failures. This problem 
^ 
occurs however only occasionaly and can be resolved by appropriate back-up 
and recovery procedures. 
All Member States reported that the Global Positioning System (GPS), 
integrated in the ARGOS transponders and used in combination with 
INMARSAT C, is sufficiently precise for fishery enforcement purposes. 
The positioning function of Euteltracs is evaluated positively as well. 
2. The Issue of Data Exchange 
A significant number of data exchange trials between Member States have 
been undertaken during the operational phase of the pilot projects. The trials 
identified the complexity and difficulties of exchanging position data. 
However, they also provided valuable information on how data exchange 
may be improved and how a unique solution or other alternatives may be 
achieved in an operational system. 
The data exchange format proposed by Denmark and X.25 data exchange 
protocol have been accepted as standards for the purpose of the pilot 
projects. The X.25 services available are however not the same in each 
Member State. A number of Member States failed to exchange position 
reports on a regular basis. In this regard, the technical effort required to 
establish and operate reliable and effective data communication procedures 
during the period of the pilot project has apparently been underestimated by 
the Member States. From the Commission point of view this was the least 
successful aspect of the pilot project. 
S* 
Direct transmission from the fishing vessel to the coastal state has only been 
tested by two Member States. It can nevertheless be considered to be a valid 
alternative for communication by the Flag State to the Coastal State. 
Member States recognize the need to standardise the data exchange 
procedures and reflect further on the architecture of the future Community 
system for satellite monitoring. In that context the issues of inter-operability 
of different mobile satellite communication and tracking technologies with 
terrestrial networks will have to be addressed in a comprehensive manner. 
It should be noted that the issue of data communication between Member 
States is a general issue that is not limited to satellite tracking applications. 
3. Legal and Evidential Issues 
In their reports Member State did not undertake an elaborate assessment of 
the legal and evidential issues pertaining to the data acquired from a satellite 
based vessel monitoring system. The Commission is nevertheless aware that 
the vessels participated in the pilot projects on a voluntary basis and that 
many issues such as tampering or misuse of the devices for the purpose of 
cloning (the unauthorised use of a legitimate unit to mislead the authorities 
as to the correct location of vessels) or of ghosting (the unauthorised 
disabling of a unit) will not be fully apparent until the system is mandatory 
for certain categories of vessels. It is therefore essential that the full onus 
of responsibility for the installation, operation and maintenance of the 
operational equipment is placed on the vessel and that it will be illegal to be 
at sea without an operational unit on board. It is also imperative that there 
will be a full range of appropriate sanctions, as well as incentives, to ensure 
A 
that vessels comply with the regulatory requirements. 
In general, Member States have widely diverging rules of evidence. The 
admissibility and evidential value of the data provided by a satellite-based 
vessel monitoring system could to some extent differ in each Member State, 
such as is the case with other information, e.g. photographs taken during 
aerial surveillance flights. In order for VMS to operate effectively, co­
operation between the competent authorities of the Flag State and the Coastal 
state is required. This may imply that certain Member States will have to 
introduce rules under their national law in order to enable the evaluation of 
evidence obtained by satellite-based VMS. 
m. THE APPROPRIATENESS OF A SATELLITE-BASED VMS FOR 
FISHERY ENFORCEMENT AND MANAGEMENT 
The trials demonstrated that a fully operational system will have many 
benefits for fisheries enforcement. As noted in the Commission Report on 
Monitoring the Common Fisheries Policy (l) there are at present many 
serious shortcomings in the effectiveness and efficiency of enforcement . 
Satellite monitoring of fishing vessels will improve the control of many areas 
in the current fisheries regime. 
In particular it will : 
- improve effort management by providing high-quality effort 
(') COM (96) 100 final 
reports; 
- improve the monitoring of closed boxes or sensitive areas; 
- allow a more cost effective deployment of patrol vessels and 
surveillance aircraft as well as a more efficient use of boarding 
parties at sea; 
- allow the verification of logbook data and in some instances the 
validation of catch area reports; 
- assist in the detection of illegal or unauthorised landings; 
- allow the monitoring of the advance notification of landing 
requirement. 
The diverse nature of EU fisheries requires a complex management and 
control structure. However, in the long term a satellite based vessel 
monitoring system may allow simplification of the regulatory framework. 
In particular, it may provide an incentive for fishermen to comply with the 
regulations which in turn may result in a reduction of some of the current 
obligations such as hail requirements. 
Satellite-based systems will assist the monitoring of fishing effort and will, 
if combined with other enforcement tools, improve the recording of quota 
uptake by vessels. 
From the Community perspective, a satellite based vessel monitoring system 
will improve the uniform application of the regulatory framework, enhance 
cooperation between enforcement agencies and ensure greater transparency 
of the fishery control and enforcement effort in the Member States. 
U 
The pilot projects in the Member States revealed that there are also many 
advantages for the fishing industry. These include, cheaper communication 
costs, improved safety features in the event of an emergency, confidential 
messaging services for catch and market information, and improved access 
to weather, port, and other information. Furthermore, recent experience in 
the Member States indicates that fishermen are already investing in satellite 
telecommunications equipment and services. 
The encouraging results of the pilot projects conducted by the Member States 
and developments in international fisheries indicate that it is now appropriate 
to prepare for an operational scheme applicable to Community fishing 
vessels. 
The cost of satellite-based VMS will depend mainly on the number of 
vessels included in the system. It can further be assumed that Member 
States will prefer maximum flexibility to develop a national system tailored 
specifically to their needs and to integrate the system with existing 
monitoring facilities and operations. 
The hard- and software purchased for the purpose of the pilot projects may 
be reused whenever possible. 
Based on an earlier study, the cost of satellite monitoring, including a control 
center in each Member State for monitoring a fleet of 10.000 vessels, over 
five years, is likely to be of the order of 80 to 100 Mecu. The predominant 
part will be the mobile equipment on board of each vessel. Expenditure 
would normally be eligible under Council Decision 95/527/EC on a 
Community financial contribution towards certain expenditure incurred by 
Az-
the Member States implementing the monitoring and control systems 
applicable to the Common Fisheries Policy(1). 
(*) O.J. No L 301, 14.12.1995, p. 30 
Rectified O.J. No L 302, 15.12.1995, p. 45 
lJ> 
SYNOPTIC TABLE (situation on 01.05.96) ANNEX 
Member 
State 
Belgium 
Denmark 
Germany 
Greece 
Spain 
France 
Ireland 
Italy Community 
financial 
contribution 
(MECU) 
0,3 
0,9 
0,4 
0,8 
3,0 
0,9 
0,7 
0,5 Number of 
vessels 
Minimum 
10 
10 
15 
10 
124 
67 
10 
17 Actual 
21 
10 
22 
20 
124 
45 
10 
(20) Control Centre 
Dienst voor Zee-
visserij, Oostende 
Fiskeridirektoratet, 
Copenhagen 
Bundesanstalt LE, 
Hamburg 
Hellenic Coast 
Guard, Piraeus 
IGPM, Madrid 
CROSSA, Etel 
Naval Base, Cork 
Coast Guard, 
Rome Satellite System 
INMARSAT 
INMARSAT 
INMARSAT 
INMARSAT 
EUTELTRACS 
INMARSAT 
ARGOS 
EUTELTRACS 
INMARSAT 
EUTELTRACS 
INMARSAT 
INMARSAT Operational 
starting date 
(deadline: 
01.10.94) 
March '95 
April '95 
October '94 
October '94 
March ;94 
May '95 
October '94 
-Receipt 
final report 
(deadline: 
29.02.96) 
-
26.03.96 
04.03.96 
13.03.96 
14.03.96 
19.03.96 
-
-Remarks 
- Cost of connectivity software shared with 
Netherlands 
- Loss of INMARSAT data reports 
- Difficulties in finding voluntary participants 
- Developed data exchange format for position 
reporting 
- Telecom does not support X.25 fast select mode 
for international communications 
- Tested VHF/DSC in a complementary projet 
- LES does not support individual polling function 
- Developed an extension of the Danish data 
exchange format for event reporting 
- Continues to use the system for effort reporting 
- Eutelsat developed technical solution for the 
integration of the data flows from the three 
satellite systems 
- Continues to use the system for effort reporting 
- Encryption of position reports 
- In favour of direct transmission to coastal state 
- Suggests use of central data routing facility 
- Not yet operational 
^ 
A Member 
State 
Netherlands 
Portugal 
Finland 
Sweden 
United 
Kingdom Community 
financial 
contribution 
(MECU) 
0,5 
0,2 
0,2 
0,9 Number of 
vessels 
Minimum 
14 
47 
-
19 Actual 
41 
104 
5 
3 
29 Control Centre 
AID, Kerkrade 
IGP, Lisbon 
Department of 
Fisheries, Helsinki 
Fiskeriverket, 
Gôteborg 
MAFF, London 
DAFS, Edinburgh Satellite System 
ARGOS 
EUTELTRACS 
INMARSAT 
INMARSAT 
INMARSAT 
INMARSAT 
ARGOS 
EUTELTRACS 
INMARSAT Operational 
starting date 
(deadline: 
01.10.94) 
October '94 
After 
accession 
After 
accession 
September 
•94 Receipt 
final report 
(deadline: 
29.02.96) 
20.03.96 
05.03.96 
07.03.96 
22.03.96 
(draft 
provisional) Remarks 
- Cost of connectivity software shared with 
Belgium 
- Loss of INMARSAT data reports 
- Previous experience with project "Verre 
Visserijen" 
- PTT Telecom does not support X.25 fast select 
mode 
- Portugal did not carry out a specific pilot 
project, since it had prior experience with 
MONICAP 
- Satellite-monitoring is an established means of 
control under national law 
- Joint project with Denmark and Sweden 
- Joint project with Denmark and Finland 
- No voluntary particioants 
. - Equipped two Coast Guard vessels and one 
research vessel 
- Full integration of satellite systems through 
customised monitoring system (CTMS) 
- No participation of Fisheries Organisations 
- 18 vessels equipped with Automatic Position 
Recorders 

ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(96) 232 final 
DOCUMENTS 
EN 03 n 
Catalogue number : CB-CO-96-242-EN-C 
ISBN 92-78-04484-9 
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 
L-2985 Luxembourg 
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