The meeting, held in London on 14-18 November 2016, took a series of decisions to protect deep-sea species. It also paved the way for a stronger fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The decisions included conservation measures for blue whiting, herring, mackerel, redfish in the Irminger Sea and Rockall haddock.

At the initiative of the EU, participants agreed to ban directed fishing for deep-sea sharks, rays and chimaeras, and spurdogs. Bans on fisheries targeting basking shark and porbeagle remain in place.

Participants also adopted the EU's proposed temporal and geographically specified ban on fishing with bottom gears for blue ling.

IUU progress

NEAFC parties took a major step in the fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing by adopting the basis for an electronic reporting system. This system will start development over the coming year. It aims to significantly improve fisheries inspection operations in NEAFC waters.

Background

In addition, parties amended NEAFC’s control and enforcement scheme, with a view to improving compliance.

The Annual Meeting elected Mr Jacques Verborgh (EU), DG MARE-European Commission, as President of NEAFC for 2017-2018. He takes over from Mr Johán H. Williams (Norway). NEAFC is the international organisation responsible for fisheries management in international waters in the North-East Atlantic. Its Contracting Parties are Denmark (in respect of the Faroe Islands and Greenland), the European Union, Iceland, Norway and the Russian Federation.