Fisheries: Migratory and freshwater fisheries
NORTH ATLANTIC SALMON CONSERVATION ORGANISATION (NASCO)
INTRODUCTION TO NASCO
The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO), was established in October 1983 under the Convention for the Conservation of Salmon in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is an international organisation with the objective of contributing through consultation and co-operation to the conservation, restoration, enhancement and rational management of salmon stocks taking into account the best scientific evidence available to it.
NASCO consists of a Council, three regional Commissions and a Secretariat. The Council is made up of a representative of all the Parties to the Convention, i.e. Canada, Denmark (in respect of the Faroe Islands and Greenland), the European Union, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation and the United States of America. Because the European Union is responsible for international fisheries matters, the European Commission represents EU Member States interests in NASCO; the UK (which includes a representative from Fisheries Division) attends NASCO meetings as part of the EU delegation. The main function of the Council is to provide a forum for the study, analysis, exchange of information and consultation on matters concerning salmon stocks.
The three regional Commissions are the North American Commission, the North-East Atlantic Commission and the West Greenland Commission. The function of the three Commissions is to provide a forum for consultation and cooperation on salmon stocks; to propose regulatory measures for fishing in the area of fisheries jurisdiction of a member of salmon originating in the rivers of other parties & to make recommendations to the Council on scientific research. The North American Commission has a more detailed mandate which requires each measures to minimise by catch of salmon originating in the rivers of another member. It also requires that fishing patterns in salmon fisheries should be altered in a manner that results in initiation of fishing or increases in catches of salmon originating in the rivers of another Party without the consent of that Party.
PRECAUTIONARY APPROACH TO SALMON MANAGEMENT
In view of the severe difficulties experienced with regard to fish stocks, the Precautionary Approach is being increasing adopted in international fora. NASCO and its Contacting Parties took an early initiative to adopt and apply a Precautionary Approach to the conservation, management and exploitation of salmon in order protect the resource and preserve the environments within which the salmon lives. The agreement therefore commits both NASCO and its contracting parties to apply a precautionary approach to the entire range of their salmon conservation and management activities, both at sea and in home rivers.
At its 19 th Annual meeting in June 2002 the North Atlantic Salmon Organisation (NASCO) and its Contracting Parties at a special session on the application of the precautionary approach to the conservation, management and exploitation of salmon it became clear that parties have made real progress in addressing the poor state of the wild Atlantic salmon stocks. Significant work has been undertaken in the area of habitat reclamation and in developing inventories of habitat information, which will also aid wild salmon recoveries.
More information about NASCO and report of the Annual meeting can be found at www.nasco.int
Page last modified:
17 January 2005
Page published: 17 January 2005