”Too little, too late” was the Seas At Risk network’s comment on the outcome of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission’s (NEAFC) recent annual meeting.
Seas At Risk has been an observer at the annual meetings of the NEAFC, an organisation of five contracting parties, since 2002.
At the UN in 2006, high seas fishing nations agreed to tackle the imminent threat of destructive fishing, particularly bottom trawling, that vulnerable deep-water ecosystems such as sponge fields and cold-water coral reefs are facing. The actions agreed include the assessment of the impact of all bottom fishing, identification of areas where vulnerable marine ecosystems are known or likely to occur, and implementation of measures to protect these ecosystems from bottom fishing by the 31st December 2008 or close these areas altogether to bottom fishing.
At their annual meeting in London in November, the NEAFC nations (including the EU as a party) chose to disregard that deadline, deferring decisions to a closed meeting in March next year.
They failed to adopt a proposal by Norway to close several areas on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where vulnerable marine ecosystems occur, and discarded scientific advice to extend existing closures on Rockall and Hatton Banks to protect coral reefs. Instead, a “move-on” rule was agreed on, meaning that a high seas bottom fishing vessel is required to move two nautical miles from an area if the vessel brings up more than 100 kilograms of live corals, or 1000 kilograms of sponges. Seas At Risk called these quantities “ludicrously high”, and ”a mechanism of last resort”.
“The UN General Assembly has called on States to prohibit high seas bottom fisheries in 2009 until they do, and ensure that deep-water ecosystems are properly protected. The move-on rule adopted by NEAFC last week does not fulfill the requirements established by the UN”. The organisation said on its website.