Nr. 5/2004 - Ársfundur Laxaverndunarstofnunarinnar NASCO

Laxaverndunarstofnunin var stofnsett í Reykjavík árið 1984 í þeim tilgangi að stuðla að verndun, uppbyggingu og skynsamlegri nýtingu laxastofna í Norður Atlantshafi. Heldur stofnunin því upp á 20 ára afmæli sitt á þessum fundi. Meðfylgjandi er samantekt á helstu áföngum í starfi stofnunarinnar á undanförnum 20 árum.

Núverandi meðlimir NASCO eru Bandaríkin, Danmörk (fyrir Færeyjar og Grænland), Evrópusambandið, Ísland, Kanada, Noregur og Rússland. Þar að auki eiga yfir 20 hagsmunasamtök áheyrnaraðild að NASCO.

Innan alþjóðlegrar fiskveiðistjórnunar hefur NASCO verið leiðandi afl í útfærslu varrúðarreglunnar (Precautionary Approach) og m.a. samþykkt ályktanir er varða:

 ·         stjórnun laxveiða í úthafinu.

·         verndun og uppbyggingu á búsvæðum laxa í ferskvatni.

·         áhrif laxeldis á villta laxastofna og flutning á eldisfiski milli landa.

·         bann við notkun erfðabreyttra laxa í eldi.

·         uppbyggingu laxastofna með ræktunaraðgerðum.

·         meðafla á laxi í veiðum á uppsjávarfiskum.

 Á ársfundinum munu aðildarlöndin m.a. upplýsa um helstu aðgerðir varðandi ofangreind atriði í hverju landi. Þar að auki mun ársfundurinn fjalla um leiðbeinandi reglur er miða að því að byggja tillit til félagslegra og efnahagslegra þátta inn í ákvarðanatöku um laxveiðistjórnun á grundvelli varúðarreglunnar. Einnig verður fjallað um stjórnunaraðgerðir varðandi laxveiðar við Vestur Grænland og  Færeyjar.

Laxaverndunarstofnunin hefur nýlega stofnað alþjóðlegt vísindaráð til að kanna aukin afföll á laxi í sjó og hugsanlegar leiðir til að vinna gegn þessum afföllum. Ráðinu er m.a. ætlað að samhæfa rannsóknir á þessu sviði meðal aðildarlanda NASCO og hefur þegar stuðlað að rannsóknum á nýjum sviðum, t.d. varðandi meðafla á laxi í flotvörpuveiðum á uppsjávarfiski. Einnig hefur það leitað eftir fjárhagslegum stuðningi við slíkar rannsóknir meðal einstaklinga og fyrirtækja sem láta málefni Atlantshafslaxins sig varða.

Setningarathöfn 21. ársfundar NASCO fer fram milli kl. 09:00 og 10:30 í fundarsal á annarri hæð Hótel Sögu þriðjudaginn 8. júní.  Setningarathöfnin er opin almenningi og er fjölmiðlum hér með boðið að vera viðstaddir.

 Frekari upplýsingar má nálgast á vefsíðu NASCO: www.nasco.int   

 NASCO at 20 years

Over 2,000 salmon rivers flow into the North Atlantic and the wild stocks migrate widely.  Rational management of the North Atlantic salmon can therefore only be achieved through international cooperation.  Since 1984, NASCO has provided that forum for conservation, restoration, enhancement and rational management of Atlantic salmon.  This 20-year period has proved a difficult one, since stock abundance has declined, probably mainly due to natural causes.  The milestones in the 20-year period follow:

·                NASCO’s Convention prohibited fishing for salmon beyond areas of fisheries jurisdiction and in most parts of the North Atlantic beyond 12 nautical miles, and thereby created a large protected zone free of fisheries in the North Atlantic;

 ·                   NASCO successfully addressed the problem of fishing for salmon in international waters by non-Contracting Parties but there is a need for vigilance as market demand for wild salmon could increase;

 ·                   NASCO greatly reduced the interception by a Party of salmon originating in the rivers of other Parties.  These fisheries accounted for 30% of the total harvest at their peak prior to 1984, but for less than 0.5% of the harvest in 2003;

 ·                   These NASCO regulatory measures stimulated management measures in “home water” fisheries which have also greatly reduced harvests.  There is a requirement under the Convention which effectively requires the process of ‘putting your own house in order’ before expecting others to make sacrifices;

 ·                   NASCO considerably broadened its base from an organization which focused only on the fisheries to one which is now addressing a very wide range of threats to the resource (see below);

 ·                   NASCO stimulated scientific research and advice so as to provide a basis for its actions;

 ·                   NASCO introduced a minimum standard for catch statistics, it has analysed the sources of unreported catches on an annual basis, and it has encouraged measures to minimise unreported catch;

 ·                   NASCO introduced the concepts of the Precautionary Approach to all of its work so as to give priority to conserving the productive capacity of the resource and avoid irreversible change.  In this regard, NASCO developed precautionary guidelines in relation to:

 -               management of North Atlantic salmon fisheries;

-               habitat protection and restoration;

-               by-catch;

-               stock rebuilding programmes;

-               aquaculture;

-               introductions and transfers;

-               and transgenics.

·                   NASCO identified all the social and economic values of the wild Atlantic salmon and is now developing guidelines on how to incorporate socio-economic factors in application of the Precautionary Approach without undermining its effectiveness;

 ·                   NASCO took steps to prevent the further spread of the parasite Gyrodactylus salaris;

 ·                   NASCO developed guidelines for catch and release fishing and for the establishment of gene banks;

 ·                   NASCO stimulated an exchange of statistics and information among the Parties and has established a number of databases related to the salmon and its conservation;

 ·                   recognising that a major factor influencing salmon abundance is increased mortality at sea and that the causes of this are poorly understood, NASCO established an International Atlantic Salmon Research Board in order to stimulate research and links with NGOs and with the private sector on this issue;

 ·                   NASCO established a Liaison Group with the international salmon farming industry with a view to developing agreements on how to minimise impacts of this industry on the wild stocks;

 ·                   NASCO developed its transparency and admitted 30 observer organizations, a very much larger number than most fishery organizations, to its meetings.  The contributions they make have been welcomed;

 ·                   NASCO is considered to be a very stable organization financially and one which has made excellent investments for the future;

 ·                   In NASCO, over 100 delegates, all with differing experience and backgrounds in wild salmon, gather annually in a cooperative spirit to do their best to conserve the wild stocks.

None of these elements existed prior to NASCO and not many international inter-governmental organizations have come this far in this timescale.  Nonetheless, the situation for the wild stocks is still serious and the Organization will now consider how to monitor implementation of its agreements and how it can ensure its effectiveness for the next decade.