North Atlantic ban on discards in international waters

The 28th annual meeting of the Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) adopted a ban on discards in international waters on the major stocks regulated by NEAFC. The adoption is a major contribution in the work towards sustainable and responsible management of fisheries in the high seas. NEAFC also adopted several adjustments of the NEAFC Scheme of Control and Enforcement related to port state control, surveillance of fisheries and catch reporting. These are all important tools in the work of combating IUU-fishing.

After a proposal from Norway, Russian Federation, Iceland and Denmark (in respect of Faroe Island and Greenland) a ban on discards of the species regulated by NEAFC in the high seas, including mackerel, blue whiting, herring, haddock and redfish, was adopted at the 28th Annual meeting of the Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) in London November 9-13 2009. NEAFC also agreed on to continue the work of developing technical measures to assist the contracting parties to implement the ban on discards.

-Discard of fish is irresponsible and a waste of food resources. It is therefore encouraging that NEAFC has adopted a ban on discards in the NEAFC regulatory area. This is an important signal to other regional fisheries management organisations, and it gives support to the work of FAO to reduce discards and by-catch globally, says the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Lisbeth Berg-Hansen.

Management measures for 2010 were agreed for blue whiting and Norwegian spring spawning herring, which implies that these two stocks are regulated in the whole distribution area of the stocks. It was agreed on a quota of 150 tonnes orange roughy, and a ban on directed fisheries of spurdog.

Norway put forward a proposal of no directed fisheries on redfish in the Norwegian Sea (ICES I and II) in compliance with ICES advice. After negotiations it was decided on a quota of 8600 tonnes and extension of the fishing period. Norway abstained from voting and tabled a protest resolution against the adoption, which is found irresponsible, not sustainable and a threat to the recovery of the stock.

It was agreed on a closure of an area by the borderline of the Iceland Exclusive economic zone for blue ling fishery and to extend the closed area on the Hatton bank. A proposal to extend the closures on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge was sent to ICES for scientific review.  In addition it was agreed to reduce the thresholds of catches of corals and sponges to 60 kg and 800 kg in encounter with vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs). These adoptions are elements in NEAFCs implementation of the UNGA fisheries resolution 61/105 from 2009 which addresses the issue of high seas bottom fishing and its impacts on vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems.

NEAFC is a regional fisheries management organization responsible for fisheries and area management in the high seas of the Northeast Atlantic. Norway, European Community, Russian Federation, Iceland and Denmark (in respect of Faroe Island and Greenland) are contracting parties. Sergey Belikov from the Russian Federation was elected new president of NEAFC for the period 2010-12.