Redfish catch. (Photo Credit: FIS)

NEAFC sets new management measures for redfish and haddock

The North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) adopted some conservation and management measures for the year 2016 for a number of fish stocks such as redfish in the Irminger Sea and Rockall haddock.

Conservation and management measures for the three main pelagic fish stocks -- blue whiting, herring and mackerel -- will be set through a postal procedure as soon as the coastal States have reached a conclusion in their consultations which will continue later this month.

The NEAFC is progressing in its work regarding further improvements to the conservation and management of deep sea species. At the 34th annual meeting, an interim categorisation of deep sea fish stocks was adopted, based on a proposal by NEAFC’s Permanent Committee on Management and Science.

NEAFC’s scientific adviser, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), was asked to assess the interim categorisation and thereby create the basis for long-term categorisation being adopted next year. Based on the interim categorisation, conservation and management measures for individual deep sea fish stocks, including orange roughy and roundnose grenadiers, were adopted to complement the general measures adopted for all deep sea species.

The protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems, such as corals, continues to be an important issue for NEAFC. NEAFC has already closed bottom fisheries in all areas where VMEs are known to occur or are considered likely to occur according to scientific advice.

NEAFC is now focusing on measures to ensure that bottom fishing only takes place in the areas where it is authorised. This forms a part of NEAFC’s extensive system of monitoring, control and enforcement, which includes receiving information on an hourly basis detailing the exact location, speed and heading of all vessels in the high seas of the North-East Atlantic.

In addition, it continues to place great emphasis on action against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fisheries. In this context, a number of different measures have been implemented, including NEAFC’s system of Port State Control which was expanded earlier this year to include landings of all fish products and to ensure that the system, which is operated electronically, is fully aligned with the 2009 FAO Port State Measures Agreement.

An Extraordinary Meeting of NEAFC was held earlier this year to decide on the follow up to the recommendations made by the review, and this year’s Annual Meeting finalised some issues that were discussed at the Extraordinary Meeting. These included adopting the Terms of Reference for a Working Group on a Framework for Coastal State Negotiations. Both this group and the Working Group on Allocation Criteria will have their first meeting already in February 2016.

It was noted that earlier this year the first meeting under the collective arrangement with the OSPAR Commission for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic was held. This arrangement is intended to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the two organisations, and the intention is to include other organisations that have international legal competence regarding other activities.

Furthermore, the cooperating non-Contracting Party status of the Bahamas, Canada, Liberia, New Zealand and St Kitts and Nevis was renewed for the year 2016. These States cooperate with NEAFC and, in some cases, deploy vessels for transhipment operations in the NEAFC Regulatory Area.
 

[email protected]
www.seafood.media

Address:	22 Berners Street
City:	London
State/ZIP:	England (W1T 3DY )
Country:	United Kingdom
Phone:	+44 20 763 100 16
Fax:	+44 20 763 692 25
E-Mail:	[email protected]
More about:

Print