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Oceans and fisheries
News announcement26 September 2018Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

Northwest Atlantic: important agreements on conservation and enforcements measures

The European Union participated in the 40th meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation in Tallinn from 17 to 21 September 2018.

All Contracting Parties agreed on a number of conservation and enforcement measures:

  • Key conservation measures for Greenland sharks. The EU and the US worked together to prohibit targeted fishing of this iconic species. NAFO will now work on identifying the fishing areas where higher bycatch and discards take place, in preparation for new measures to be proposed by 2021.
  • Extended scientific monitoring. Regular scientific monitoring must consider the impact on fish stocks and vulnerable marine ecosystems, not only of fisheries, but also of other industries such as oil exploration, shipping and recreational activities.
  • Adoption of an Exceptional Circumstances Protocol for the harvest control rule for Greenland Halibut
  • Revision of the NAFO Observer Program. Promoted by the EU and Canada, the Program was reviewed and adapted in order to enhance the quality of NAFO’s data collection.

The meeting in Tallinn also set TACs on twelve different stocks, and agreed further measures to increase compliance of the EU fleet with NAFO rules both at sea and in port.

Details

Publication date
26 September 2018
Author
Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries