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1.Member States shall not authorise fishing vessels flying their flag to engage in bottom fishing without prior authorisation from the SPRFMO.
2.Member States whose vessels intend to engage in bottom fishing activities in the SPRFMO Convention Area shall submit a request for authorisation to the Commission not later than 45 days before the SPRFMO Scientific Committee meeting at which they wish the request to be considered. The Commission shall forward the request to the SPRFMO Secretariat not later than 30 days before the SPRFMO Scientific Committee meeting. The request shall contain:
(a)the bottom fishing footprint, based on the track record in bottom fishing catch or effort in the SPRFMO Convention Area over the period from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2006 established by the Member State concerned;
(b)the average annual catch level over the period 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2006;
(c)a bottom fishing impact assessment;
(d)an evaluation as to whether the proposed activities both promote the sustainable management of target species and non-target species taken as by-catch, and protect the marine ecosystems in which those resources occur, including by preventing significant adverse impacts on VMEs.
3.The impact assessment referred to in point (c) of paragraph 2 shall be carried out in accordance with the International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas of the Food and Agriculture Organisation published in 2009 (‘Deep-sea Fisheries Guidelines of the FAO’) and shall take into account the SPRFMO Bottom Fishery Impact Assessment Standard and areas where VMEs are known or are likely to occur.
4.The Commission shall inform the relevant Member State of the SPRFMO decision regarding the authorisation to bottom fish in the SPRFMO Convention Area for the purpose of which the impact assessment was conducted, including any attached conditions and relevant measures to prevent significant adverse impacts on VMEs.
5.Member States shall ensure that impact assessments referred to in point (c) of paragraph 2 are updated when a substantial change in the fishery has occurred that is likely to have an impact on VMEs, and shall transmit that information to the Commission as soon as it becomes available. The Commission shall forward that information to the SPRFMO Secretariat.