North-East Atlantic fisheries face significant challenges in conservation and control, as unprecedented disagreements emerge

The 43rd annual meeting of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) - which includes the European Union, representatives from Denmark in respect of the Faroe Islands and Greenland, Iceland, Norway, the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation - concluded last Friday, 15 November. The meeting faced challenges in achieving consensus on the sustainable management of fish stocks, on the control and monitoring of fishing activities, and on how to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The EU expressed concerns over the absence of a compliance report for the first time in NEAFC’s history. Serious infringements to the NEAFC rules involving vessels from some NEAFC parties have not been formally recognised by the organisation and will not be followed up. Infringements of other fleets operating in the NEAFC area will also face no sanctions.

The EU regrets that no other parties called on Russia to cease fishing activities that appear to be illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) and to take enforcement action in relevant cases. Russian vessels have been engaging in bottom fishing outside the designated bottom fishing areas, and without notifying NEAFC. Fishing outside those areas is prohibited under the NEAFC recommendation aimed at protecting vulnerable marine ecosystems.

The EU opposed granting the status of cooperating non-contracting party to Panama and Bahamas and proposed listing several vessels from those countries in the NEAFC IUU list due to detected infringements and insufficient enforcement measures.

Recommendations to protect fish stocks in the North-East Atlantic

 NEAFC adopted several key recommendations to protect fish stocks, including:

• Setting catch limits for mackerel, blue whiting, and Atlanto-Scandian herring, in line with scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Despite agreeing on the commitment to set catch limits, the EU regrets the lack of comprehensive sharing arrangements and the non-cooperative attitude towards the EU in the coastal states’ consultations for Atlanto-Scandian herring. The EU called for decisive action to ensure the sustainable management of pelagic stocks.
• Prohibiting directed fisheries on stocks of redfish in the Irminger Sea from 2025 to 2027 to allow them to recover. Despite previous prohibitions, Russia has undertaken directed and unsustainable fishing activities on these stocks. NEAFC decided to continue restricting port services for vessels carrying redfish catches. However, the current measures have not proven to be restrictive. At the initiative of the EU, NEAFC decided that Russian vessels fishing for Irminger Sea redfish would lose the right to access the ports of the EU. The EU urged NEAFC parties to introduce the same measures as soon as possible, and to restrict Russian vessels fishing for Irminger Sea redfish access to their waters to prevent unsustainable fishing.
• Implementing measures to protect porbeagle, spurdog, and orange roughy, which are vulnerable to overfishing. These measures include prohibiting directed fisheries for porbeagle and orange roughy in certain areas and setting catch limits for spurdog, to prevent overfishing.

Next steps

NEAFC will continue to work towards the implementation of these recommendations and measures, with the aim of ensuring the long-term sustainability of fish stocks and the protection of the marine ecosystem. The EU will also continue to advocate for greater cooperation and compliance from all parties to address the challenges and concerns raised during the meeting. Decisions on whether it is appropriate to grant the status of cooperating non-contracting parties to Panama and Bahamas and amending the NEAFC IUU list would be taken in the first half of 2025.

Background

The North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission is a regional fisheries management organisation (RFMO) responsible for ensuring the long-term conservation of fishery resources in the North-East Atlantic. The organisation works to adopt management measures for various fish stocks and control measures to prevent overfishing and protect the marine ecosystem. 

NEAFC has six contracting parties (the European Union, Denmark in respect of the Faroe Islands and Greenland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom) and cooperating non-contracting parties.

The EU, represented by the Commission, plays an active role in 18 RFMOs, including NEAFC. This makes the EU one of the most prominent actors in RFMOs worldwide.

More information 

Regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs)

North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission | Managing Fisheries in the North-East Atlantic