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The 42nd Annual Meeting of NAFO took place from 21-25 September in Halifax, Canada.
The 42nd Annual Meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) took place from 21-25 September in Halifax, Canada.
Due to the current global pandemic, NAFO conducted the Annual Meeting virtually for the first time in its history. During the opening session, delegates from all the NAFO Contracting Parties were welcomed to the meeting by NAFO President, Stéphane Artano. The NAFO President also formally welcomed NAFO’s newest Contracting Party, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which joined NAFO earlier this month. The United Kingdom is NAFO’s 13th Contracting Party.
Despite the limitations imposed this year by the current global pandemic, NAFO continued to have a productive meeting. NAFO further advanced its revision of its Precautionary Approach (PA) Framework with the adoption of a detailed three-year work plan. Under this work plan, it is expected that NAFO’s revised PA Framework will be finalized by September 2023. NAFO also adopted a number of decisions related to the further development of its ecosystem approach framework to fisheries management and the upcoming review of its measures to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) from bottom fishing activities. In particular, these decisions include a rollover of the current VME closures in the NAFO Regulatory Area for an additional year, pending a more comprehensive review in 2021.
In addition, to the traditional total allowable catch (TAC)* and quota decisions, significant decisions were made regarding the following:
- Additional conservation measures were agreed for cod in Div. 3M including a closure of the directed fishery from January until March 2021; increased port inspection requirements; and introduction of sorting grids to protect juvenile fish.
- Streamlined vessel authorization process.
- The term of the Executive Secretary, Fred Kingston, was extended for an additional year until the end of 2022. NAFO is also planning intersessional work to review the current management approach for shrimp in Div. 3M and a workshop to identify ecosystem level objectives in advance of the 2021 Annual Meeting.
The 43rd Annual Meeting will take place 20-24 September 2021, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
* The 2021 TACs and quotas are attached.
* Ban on fishing in force. 1. Quota to be shared by vessels from Canada, Cuba, France (St. Pierre et Miquelon), Japan, Korea, Ukraine and USA. 2. The allocations to these Contracting Parties are as yet undetermined, although their sum shall not exceed the difference between the total of allocations to other Contracting Parties and the TAC (= 29.467 tonnes). 3. Should NEAFC modify its level of TAC, these figures shall be adjusted accordingly by NAFO through a mail vote. 4. Including allocations to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in accordance with the sharing arrangement of the former USSR quota adopted by the Fisheries Commission in 2003 (FC WP 03- 07), as applied by NAFO since 2005 following their accession to the European Union. 5. Including allocations to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in accordance with the sharing arrangement of the former USSR quota adopted by the Fisheries Commission in 2003 (FC WP 03- 07), and to Poland, as applied by NAFO since 2005 following their accession to the European Union. 6. Including allocations to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, as applied by NAFO since 2005 following their accession to the EU. 7. Allocation of 17.85% to Lithuania and 2.15% to Latvia following their accession to the European Union. 8. Applicable to 2021 and 2022. 9. If an increase in the overall TAC as defined in footnote 3 leads to an increase in these shares, the first 500 tonnes of that increase shall be added to the quota share referred to in footnote 1. 10. Notwithstanding the provision of Article 5.3(b) and without prejudice to future agreements on allocations, these quotas may be fished in their entirety by these Contracting Parties. 11. Applicable to 2021, 2022, and 2023. 12. Should catches exceed 5 000 tonnes, additional measures would be adopted to further restrain catches in 2021. Historical statements 13. The allocation key of this stock is based on the 1998 Quota Table. In 1999, a moratorium on cod in Division 3M was declared. 14. The allocation key of this stock is based on the 1997 Quota Table. In 1998, a moratorium on redfish in Division 3LN was declared. 15. The allocation key of this stock is based on the 1994 Quota Table. In 1995, a moratorium on witch flounder in Division 3NO was declared.
