Three additional days on which a vessel may be present within the area when carrying on board any regulated gear may be allocated between 1 February 2017 and 31 January 2018 to a Member State by the Commission on the basis of an enhanced programme of scientific observer coverage in partnership between scientists and the fishing industry. Such a programme shall focus in particular on levels of discarding and on catch composition and go beyond the requirements on data collection, as laid down in Regulation (EC) No 199/2008 and its implementing rules for national programmes.

Scientific observers shall be independent from the owner, the master of the fishing vessel and any crew member.

A Member State wishing to benefit from the allocations referred to in point 8.1. shall submit a description of its enhanced scientific observer coverage programme to the Commission for approval.

On the basis of that description, and after consultation with STECF, the Commission may, by means of implementing acts, allocate the Member State concerned a number of days additional to that referred to in point 5 for that Member State and for the vessels, the area and gear concerned by the enhanced programme of scientific observers. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 42(2).

If an enhanced scientific observer coverage programme submitted by a Member State has been approved by the Commission in the past and the Member State concerned wishes to continue its application without changes, it shall inform the Commission of the continuation of that programme four weeks before the beginning of the period for which the programme applies.