NAFO meeting makes ground-breaking progress on fish conservation in the Northwest Atlantic

At its Annual Meeting in Halifax, Canada last week, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) adopted unprecedented precautionary measures for the conservation and management of the fish stocks under its purview. Decisions were made with regard to the total allowable catches for Greenland halibut and Grand Banks shrimp, and to a new moratorium on Flemish Cap shrimp, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to EC.

These results match the firm stance taken by the European Union about following scientific advice strictly and adopting precautionary catch limitations.

The EU has also ensured that NAFO remained fully committed to the application of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management and agreed to further refine its provisions to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems and ensure at same time an economic viability for European fishermen.