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The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) is an intergovernmental organization with a mandate to provide scientific advice and management of fisheries in the northwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean. NAFO is headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
NAFO's overall objective is to contribute through consultation and cooperation to the optimum utilization, rational management and conservation of the fishery resources of the Convention Area.
The NAFO Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries [1] applies to most fishery resources of the Northwest Atlantic except salmon, tunas/marlins, whales, and sedentary species (e.g. shellfish).
In 2007 NAFO adopted an Amended Convention. It was finally ratified in May 2017 with 3/4 of the Members agreeing to it. The original objective was modernized to include an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. It now expands beyond a sustainable use of the commercial northwest Atlantic fishery resources by committing to also protect the associated marine ecosystems from adverse fisheries effects.
NAFO's overall objective is to contribute, through consultation and cooperation, to the optimum utilization, rational management, and conservation of the fishery resources within the Convention Area. The NAFO Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries applies to most fishery resources in the Northwest Atlantic, excluding salmon, tunas, marlins, whales, and sedentary species (e.g., shellfish). NAFO's ecosystem-based approach aligns with global fisheries management principles outlined in the UN Fish Stocks Agreement, which emphasizes sustainable and responsible practices (United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement, 1995). [2] This framework ensures that marine biodiversity and ecosystem health are preserved alongside commercial fish stock management (Rochet & Rice, 2009; Brodziak & Mueter, 2016). In 2007, NAFO adopted an Amended Convention, which was ratified in May 2017 by three-quarters of its members. The original objective was modernized to include an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, emphasizing an Ecosystem-based fisheries (Rochet et al., 2009). [3] NAFO achieves this through scientific assessment, regulatory measures such as Total Allowable Catch, and comprehensive monitoring systems, including satellite-based Vessel Monitoring and observer programs.This expansion extends beyond the sustainable use of commercial fishery resources to include commitments to protect associated marine ecosystems from the adverse effects of fisheries (Brodziak and Mueter, 2016). [4] Since the ratification of the Amended Convention in 2017, NAFO has implemented an ecosystem approach to fisheries management, which considers the interrelationships between the fish stocks and their environments. This approach aims to ensure not only the sustainability of target species, but also the protection of marine diversity and the health of marine ecosystems in the Northwest Atlantic.
In 1950, the fishing nations who operated fleets on the continental shelf of Canada and the United States began to recognize that fishing resources were finite and sought to establish an international multinational organization to provide for cooperation in preserving fish stocks. This organization, the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, or ICNAF, was organized that year and mandated to use modern scientific methods in providing advice to member nations.
The ICNAF was supported by the "International Convention for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries", however between 1973 and 1982 the United Nations and its member states negotiated the "Third Convention of the Law of the Sea" - one component of which, the concept of nations being allowed to declare an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), was ratified and implemented in 1977. The establishment of Exclusive Economic Zones under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea fundamentally reshaped international fisheries governance, leading to the creation of NAFO as a replacement for ICNAF (McDorman, 2005). [5] NAFO introduced a more robust regulatory framework to align with modern resource management standards (Symes, 1998). [6] This extension of national fisheries jurisdiction over large areas of the continental shelf in this region by Canada, the United States, Greenland and St. Pierre and Miquelon required that the ICNAF be replaced with a new convention.
In 1979 ICNAF was replaced by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) which was established under the "Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries". NAFO continues ICNAF's legacy under a mandate of providing scientific advice to member states with the premise of ensuring the conservation and management of fish stocks in the region. The NAFO mandate includes most fishery resources in the Northwest Atlantic, except salmon, tunas/marlins, whales, and sedentary species (e.g. shellfish).
NAFO regulates twelve fish species (20 stocks) and a fishing ban (moratorium) is in place for seven fish stocks belonging to five species (Atlantic cod, American plaice, witch flounder, capelin and shrimp). For many of these stocks, the fishing moratorium started more than a decade ago, however two stocks (redfish and cod) were reopened to fishing after decade-long moratoria. NAFO co-manages the pelagic redfish in Subarea 2 and Div. 1F-3K (off Greenland) with its sister organization, NEAFC.
In the preceding years leading up to the NAFO formation, the early roots trace back to the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (ICNAF) in 1949. This organization helped served as a precursor to what is the NAFO today, it was founded at was founded at a conference in Washington, D.C., attended by countries with significant fishing interests in the Northwest Atlantic, including the United States, Canada, the UK, and several European nations. ICNAF's primary goal was to address overfishing in the Northwest Atlantic and establish coordinated conservation and management efforts for fish stocks. [7] By the late 1970s it was becoming increasingly difficult for the ICNAF to make any substantial changes due to the limitations on the ICNAF, and in turn this helped lead to the formation of the NAFO. NAFO’s new framework introduced more robust conservation measures and an emphasis on scientific research, aligning its approach with international fisheries law and modern resource management standards.
Today, NAFO continues to adapt by implementing advanced monitoring, control, and compliance systems. For instance, it has adopted a Vessel Monitoring System and a mandatory observer scheme, while also establishing protections for vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) affected by bottom fishing. These initiatives align NAFO’s goals with international conservation standards, including the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement, which highlights the need for sustainable and responsible fisheries.
NAFO is implementing the Precautionary Approach that takes into account scientific uncertainties and thus allows for improved protection of the resources. Recently NAFO Adopted the MSE (Management Strategy Evaluation) for the Greenland halibut stock. This approach considers a survey-based harvest control rule (HCR) in setting the TAC. NAFO was the first regional fisheries management organization to regulate the fishery of a species (thorny skate) belonging to skates or sharks (elasmobranchs).
Management measures of NAFO (see NAFO Conservation and Enforcement Measures [8] ) are updated every year), which include Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and quotas [8] for regulated stocks, as well as restrictions for by-catch, minimum fish size, area, and time. In addition, NAFO imposes a number of control measures on the international fishery in the NAFO Regulatory Area, for example authorization to fish, vessel and gear requirements, controlled chartering arrangements, and product labelling requirements.
NAFO also requires that fishing vessels record and communicate their catches and fishing efforts. The reliability of these records is enhanced by the Observer Program and the NAFO Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). The Observer Program requires each fishing vessel in the NAFO area to carry an independent observer on board. Under the VMS each vessel fishing in the NAFO area is equipped with a satellite monitoring device that automatically and continuously (every two hours) reports the position.
NAFO has also adopted Port State Control Measures that apply to landings or transshipments in ports of Contracting Parties by fishing vessels flying the flag of another Contracting Party. The provisions apply to landing or transshipment of fish caught in the Regulatory Area, or fish products originating from such fish, that have not been previously landed or offloaded at a port.
NAFO's joint (international) inspection and surveillance scheme include frequent and indiscriminate at-sea inspections by authorized inspectors from NAFO member states. In addition to at-sea inspections, NAFO requires obligatory port inspections. It is the duty of flag states to perform follow-up investigations and to prosecute. NAFO publishes an Annual Compliance Report.
NAFO has identified 26 areas within its Convention area as being vulnerable to bottom contact gears, and subsequently, closed the areas to bottom fishing. These closures will be reviewed again in 2023. NAFO has also delineated existing bottom fishing areas, in response to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA Res. 61/105, paragraph 83) request for Regional Fisheries Management Organizations to regulate bottom fisheries that cause a significant adverse impact on vulnerable marine ecosystems.
Year joined in brackets.
The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) is an international organization established by the Convention for the Conservation of Salmon in the North Atlantic Ocean on October 1, 1983,
The Patagonian toothfish, also known as Chilean sea bass, mero, and icefish, is a species of notothen found in cold waters between depths of 45 and 3,850 m in the southern Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans and Southern Ocean on seamounts and continental shelves around most Subantarctic islands.
A conventional idea of a sustainable fishery is that it is one that is harvested at a sustainable rate, where the fish population does not decline over time because of fishing practices. Sustainability in fisheries combines theoretical disciplines, such as the population dynamics of fisheries, with practical strategies, such as avoiding overfishing through techniques such as individual fishing quotas, curtailing destructive and illegal fishing practices by lobbying for appropriate law and policy, setting up protected areas, restoring collapsed fisheries, incorporating all externalities involved in harvesting marine ecosystems into fishery economics, educating stakeholders and the wider public, and developing independent certification programs.
The goal of fisheries management is to produce sustainable biological, environmental and socioeconomic benefits from renewable aquatic resources. Wild fisheries are classified as renewable when the organisms of interest produce an annual biological surplus that with judicious management can be harvested without reducing future productivity. Fishery management employs activities that protect fishery resources so sustainable exploitation is possible, drawing on fisheries science and possibly including the precautionary principle.
The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the fisheries policy of the European Union (EU). It sets quotas for which member states are allowed to catch each type of fish, as well as encouraging the fishing industry by various market interventions. In 2004 it had a budget of €931 million, approximately 0.75% of the EU budget.
The Turbot War was an international fishing dispute and bloodless conflict between Canada and Spain and their respective supporters.
A regional fishery body (RFB) is a type of international organization that is part of an international fishery agreement or arrangement to cooperate on the sustainable use and conservation of marine living resources and/or the development of marine capture fisheries whose such capacity has been recognized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization under the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries.
Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) is a general term to describe systems that are used in commercial fishing to allow environmental and fisheries regulatory organizations to track and monitor the activities of fishing vessels. They are a key part of monitoring control and surveillance (MCS) programs at national and international levels. VMS may be used to monitor vessels in the territorial waters of a country or a subdivision of a country, or in the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) that extend 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) from the coasts of many countries. VMS systems are used to improve the management and sustainability of the marine environment, through ensuring proper fishing practices and the prevention of illegal fishing, and thus protect and enhance the livelihoods of fishermen.
The South East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (SEAFO) is an organization that maintains controls over fishing and fishing related acts in the Southeastern Atlantic Ocean.
Fishing is a major economic activity in Portugal. The country has a long tradition in the sector, and is among the countries in the world with the highest fish consumption per capita. Roman ruins of fish processing facilities were found across the Portuguese coast. Fish has been an important staple for the entire Portuguese population, at least since the Portuguese Age of Discovery.
As with other countries, the 200 nautical miles (370 km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the coast of the United States gives its fishing industry special fishing rights. It covers 11.4 million square kilometres, which is the second largest zone in the world, exceeding the land area of the United States.
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is a regional fisheries management organisation established to conserve and manage tuna and other highly migratory fish stocks across the western and central areas of the Pacific Ocean. Its full name is Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. It commenced operations in late 2005, and its secretariat is based in Pohnpei, in the northern Pacific state of the Federated States of Micronesia.
International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) was formed in 2009 as a global, non-profit partnership among the tuna industry, scientists and World Wide Fund for Nature. The multistakeholder group states its mission is "to undertake science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing bycatch and promoting ecosystem health". Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) are primarily responsible for managing the world's tuna stocks—skipjack, yellowfin and albacore tuna, the species most commonly processed for canned and shelf-stable tuna products, but their parliamentary procedures too often allow the short-term economic and political interests of nations to prevent sustainable measures from being adopted. ISSF works to ensure that effective international management practices are in place to maintain the health of all the tuna stocks.
The North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) is an international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to the conservation of anadromous fish stocks in international waters of the North Pacific Ocean and its adjacent seas. It was established on 11 February 1992 by the Convention for the Conservation of Anadromous Stocks in the North Pacific Ocean and originally consisted of four member nations: Canada, Japan, Russian Federation, and United States of America. On 27 May 2003, the Republic of Korea acceded to the Convention bringing the current number of Commission members to five. The primary objective of the Commission is to provide a mechanism for international cooperation promoting the conservation of anadromous stocks in the NPAFC Convention Area of the North Pacific Ocean.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to fisheries:
High seas fisheries management refers to the governance and regulation of fishing activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction, often referred to as the 'high seas'.1 The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 1995 United Nations Fish Stock Agreement (UNFSA) provide the international legal framework for the regulation of fishing activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The United Nations Fish Stock Agreement delegates responsibility for conservation and management of fish stocks to regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) each governing a geographical area of the high seas.
The Directorate General of Marine and Fisheries Resources Surveillance is a government agency under the management of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia. Formally established on 23 November 2000 according to Presidential Decree No. 165/2000, the PSDKP is the agency responsible for supervising the marine and fishery resources of the Republic of Indonesia. The main mission of PSDKP is the prevention of Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Indonesian waters, which has caused a substantial loss for Indonesia's fishing industry. In its mission to prevent illegal fishing, PSDKP has conducted joint-operations with the Indonesian Navy, Water Police, Sea and Coast Guard, the Maritime Security Agency and Customs. PSDKP is however is not associated with these agencies.
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU) in the Arctic is an under researched scientific field. The most recent academic articles about IUU in the Arctic mainly concerns the mid-2000s.
The exclusive economic zone of Canada is the area of the sea in which Canada has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources, as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
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