Council Regulation (EC) No 1966/2006 of 21 December 2006 on electronic recording and reporting of fishing activities and on means of remote sensing
Date: 2006-12-21
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: common fisheries policy, data transmission, disclosure of information, fishery management, fishing controls, fishing regulations, remote sensing

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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, 

 
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Whereas: 

(1) 

Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002

1
 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. 

                                                 
 
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(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 Policy

1
 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). 

                                                 
 
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(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. 

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(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 Sea

1
. 

(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 

2
, 
procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:  

1

2

OJ L 160, 14.6.2006, p. 1. 
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). 

                                                 
 
 
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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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 

2) 

3) 

Member States can access this information. 

The content of the messages to be transmitted.  

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. 

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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