To protect juvenile bluefin tuna, paragraph 34 of Recommendation 18-02 of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) stipulates a minimum size for bluefin tuna caught in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Catches and by-catches of bluefin tuna below this minimum size, including those caught by sports or recreational vessels, shall not be kept on board the vessel in question, transhipped, transported, stored, landed, sold, displayed or offered for sale.

Furthermore, under paragraph 37 of Recommendation 18-02, vessels fishing bluefin tuna must also discard incidental catches below the minimum if size that exceed 5 % of their total bluefin tuna catch.

Paragraph 40 of Recommendation 18-02 stipulates that sports or recreational vessels be prohibited from catching, retaining on board, transhipping or landing more than one bluefin tuna per vessel per day. Necessary measures shall be put in place to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, the release of bluefin tuna caught for sport or recreation, especially juvenile bluefin tuna.

Paragraph 38 of Recommendation 18-02 stipulates that vessels not authorised to actively fish bluefin tuna may keep on board bluefin tuna catches not exceeding a maximum level of by-catch limit per vessel and per fishing trip. This by-catch limit must not exceed 20 % of the total catches. Member States must specify this limit in their annual fishing plans.

To ensure consistency between Recommendation 18-02 and EU law, the landing obligation in Article 15(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 should not apply to Union vessels operating in bluefin tuna fisheries.

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/982 should be amended to include new provisions reflecting the fishing conditions stipulated in ICCAT Recommendation 18-02.

Recommendation 18-02 is applicable from 21 June 2019. This Regulation should therefore enter into force on the same day, enabling EU vessels to fish under the same conditions as other ICCAT contracting parties,