Harvested Resource
Type of production system: Industrial Fishery Area
Climatic zone: Temperate. Vertical distribution: Pelagic.
Geo References for: North East Atlantic
North East Atlantic
| FAO Fishing Statistical Divisions | 21.1.F - Atlantic, Northwest / 21.1.F |
| 21.2.J - Atlantic, Northwest / 21.2.J |
| FAO Fishing Statistical Sub Areas | 27.12 - North of Azores (Subarea 27.12) |
| 27.14 - East Greenland (Subarea 27.14) |
Water Area List
The following area codes have been found as intersecting the location of
Northeast Atlantic Pelagic redfish fisheries in the Irminger Sea and adjacent watersFleet segment
Flag State
Faroe Islands
Greenland
European Union
Iceland
Norway
Russian Federation
United Kingdom
Fleets from all the Contracting Parties have participated in these fisheries. The fisheries are conducted by large trawlers using pelagic trawls.
Seasonality
Traditionally, the fishery has started from April and continued until autumn. The current management measures, which not all Contracting Parties are bound by, limit the catch to zero however.
Ecosystem Assessment
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF FISHERIES
The fisheries are not conducted by vessel using bottom contacting gear.
There are not significant levels of bycatches in the fisheries.
NEAFC’s request to ICES for scientific advice reads in part as follows:
“The recurring advice shall include information on the state of marine ecosystems and human impacts including historical developments in main parameters and information on the present state and recent development of stocks. The recurrent advice shall provide information on state of stocks and fisheries including - when available - historical developments in spawning stock biomass, total stock biomass, fishing mortality as well as landings and discards in the NEAFC regulatory area and within EEZs.”
“When providing its advice regarding fisheries ICES shall take account of all available information and the context of fisheries management including information from the fishing industry, ecosystem considerations, environment and hydrographical conditions, regulations in force that affect fisheries, factors affecting fishing operations and information about the fisheries, development of fisheries technology and relevant performance changes and other relevant factors that affect fishing or fish stocks.”
“If no management plan/strategy has been agreed by all relevant management parties or the agreed plan/strategy has been evaluated by ICES not to be consistent with the precautionary approach, ICES will provide advice applying the ICES MSY advice rule if possible or the precautionary approach if the information on the stocks is insufficient to support the MSY rule.”
“The advice shall be based on an ecosystem approach. This will be implemented incrementally so that any information on the interactions between fisheries, the fish stocks and the marine ecosystem is considered and incorporated in the advice as it becomes available; specifically, taking ecosystem and environmental considerations into account when providing the recurring advice mentioned above, ICES will:
Assess the extent to which fishing disturbs the marine ecosystems and, where reference levels have been established, compare the impact to the reference level chosen.
Provide any new information regarding the impact of fisheries on other components of the ecosystem including small cetaceans and other marine mammals, sea birds and sensitive habitats.
Inform NEAFC of any notable impact of other factors on and imbalances in ecosystem structure that may prejudice the stocks of commercially valuable species and its long term exploitation.
Propose reference points as guidance for management purposes in an ecosystem context.
ICES will in addition give warnings of any serious threats from fishing activities alone or in conjunction with any other relevant activity to local ecosystems or species as soon as ICES is aware of such threats.”
The full request for advice will be available on the NEAFC website from February 2021 (
https://www.neafc.org/system/files/AM_2020-94_Request-to-ICES-for-advice-2021%28PECMAS_2020-02-10-Rev1%29.pdf).
Management
Management: Management
The fishery is regulated under NEAFC jurisdictional framework / management regime.
Jurisdictional framework
The fishery is regulated under NEAFC jurisdictional framework / management regime as reported in the Northeast Atlantic - NEAFC high seas fisheries.
Area of Competence: NEAFC Convention Area
Mandate: Management; Monitoring; Control and surveillance.
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NEAFC Convention Area. Courtesy of NEAFC  |
Fisheries for redfish in the Irminger Sea in 2021 are managed through legally binding conservation and management measures adopted by NEAFC, Recommendation 1/2021 (
https://www.neafc.org/system/files/Recommendation-01-shallow-and-deep-pelagic-redfish-Irminger-sea-2021.pdf). One NEAFC Contracting Party disagrees with the basis for the ICES advice, and has subsequently objected to the relevant management measures and is not bound by them.
The management is based on setting a zero total allowable catches for 2021 for the deep pelagic redfish and for the shallow pelagic redfish. This takes account of the scientific advice from ICES, which can be found on the ICES website (shallow pelagic:
http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2019/2019/reb.2127.sp.pdf and deep pelagic:
http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2019/2019/reb.2127.dp.pdf).
NEAFC’s Permanent Committee on Monitoring and Compliance reports annually to the NEAFC Commission on compliance by the Contracting Parties with Recommendations adopted by NEAFC. The latest such compliance report, relating to the year 2019, is accessible on the NEAFC website (
https://www.neafc.org/compliance).
History
All previous conservation and management measures can be found on the NEAFC website (
https://www.neafc.org/managing_fisheries/measures/historic).
Status of Management
Assessment Summary
Scientific advice is provided by ICES. NEAFC is not involved in any scientific work. The NEAFC Contracting Parties have stressed that they consider it important to maintain a “clear separation between the scientific role of ICES and the policy and management role of NEAFC” (see report of the 2015 Extraordinary Meeting of NEAFC
http://www.neafc.org/system/files/EM-2015-Report-final.pdf). This NEAFC fact sheet will therefore not comment on scientific work or scientific assessments. The ICES advice on which the 2017 and 2018 NEAFC conservation and management measures are based can be found on the ICES website (shallow pelagic:
http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2019/2019/reb.2127.sp.pdf and deep pelagic:
http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2019/2019/reb.2127.dp.pdf).
Resources Assessed
Assessment advice provided by ICES.
Negotiation Process
Consultations on conservation and management are held both in coastal State fora (where other fishing states are invited to participate) and by NEAFC.
Management Resolutions
Fisheries for redfish in the Irminger Sea in 2021are managed through legally binding conservation and management measures adopted by NEAFC, Recommendation 1/2021
https://www.neafc.org/system/files/Recommendation-01-shallow-and-deep-pelagic-redfish-Irminger-sea-2021.pdf.
The management is based on setting zero total allowable catches for 2021 for the deep pelagic redfish and the shallow pelagic redfish. This takes account of the scientific advice from ICES, which can be found on the ICES website (shallow pelagic:
http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2019/2019/reb.2127.sp.pdf and deep pelagic:
http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2019/2019/reb.2127.dp.pdf).
In addition to the general control and enforcement measures, there have been specific requirements that apply to the redfish fisheries. The Contracting Party that has not been bound by the conservation and management measures has largely implemented these on a voluntary basis.
Management Problems
For a number of years, there has been a disagreement on the basis of the scientific advice, and consequently a disagreement on the basic element of what should be the management units for redfish in the Irminger Sea. Consequently, there has not been agreement on total allowable catches (TAC) or on allocation. In most recent years, there has been an agreement that has been reflected in legally binding conservation and management measures, but one Contracting Party has objected to these and not been bound by them. Furthermore, some Contracting Parties have wanted to lower the agreed TAC level even further (to zero in the case of 2021). This has led to a situation where there has not been comprehensive management for redfish in the Irminger Sea for a number of years.
Management Regime
Management Methods
CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT MEASURES - Binding
This fishery is regulated by TACs and allocations, although there have been difficulties in reaching a comprehensive agreement on both for a number of years.
COMPLIANCE MEASURES - Binding
The fishery is monitored and controlled according to the NEAFC Scheme of Control and Enforcement (https://www.neafc.org/scheme/contents). This includes inter alia a vessel monitoring system, regular catch reporting, inspections at sea and port state control. In addition to the general control and enforcement measures, there are specific requirements that apply to the redfish fisheries. The Contracting Party that is not bound by the conservation and management measures has largely implemented these on a voluntary basis.
Source of Information
Information provided by the NEAFC Secretariat.
Sources referred to in this fact sheet are (in the order they are referred to):
ICES advice on which the latest NEAFC conservation and management measures are based regarding shallow pelagic redfish.
http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2019/2019/reb.2127.sp.pdfICES advice on which the latest NEAFC conservation and management measures are based regarding deep pelagic redfish.
http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2019/2019/reb.2127.dp.pdfRecommendation 1/2021 on Conservation and Management Measures for Deep and Shallow Pelagic Redfish in the Irminger Sea and Adjacent Waters in the NEAFC Convention Area for 2021.
https://www.neafc.org/system/files/Recommendation-01-shallow-and-deep-pelagic-redfish-Irminger-sea-2021.pdfNEAFC’s annual compliance report for 2019.
https://www.neafc.org/complianceHistoric conservation and management measures adopted by NEAFC.
https://www.neafc.org/managing_fisheries/measures/historicThe NEAFC Scheme of Control and Enforcement.
https://www.neafc.org/scheme/contents
Sebastes mentella 