RFMOs - Regional Fisheries Management Organisations

EBCD follows the works of the main Regional Fisheries Management Organisations where the EU has specific fisheries interests: the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC), and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO).

Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) are international organisations dedicated to the sustainable management of fishery resources in international waters. Some of them manage all the fish stocks found in a specific area, while others focus on particular highly-migratory species, notably tuna, throughout vast geographical areas.

The organisations are open both to countries in the region (“coastal states”) and countries with interests in the fisheries concerned.

Competence

While some RFMOs have a purely advisory role, most have management powers to set catch and fishing effort limits, technical measures, and control obligations. These decisions are binding on their members.

RFMOs also carry out scientific research and can assist their members with such issues as capacity building, external cooperation, and/or fisheries development.

International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)

Area: North-East Atlantic.
Main species: blue whiting, haddock, herring, mackerel, redfish, deep sea species.
Main EU presence: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK.

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO)

Area: North West Atlantic Ocean, outside Canadian and Greenland waters.
Main stocks: halibut, redfish, shrimp.
Main EU presence: Spain (36 vessels) and Portugal (12), mainly fishing halibut.
Total EU vessels: approx 60.

Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)

Area: Antarctic waters.
Main stocks: toothfish, icefish and krill.
EU fishing presence: 2 Spanish vessels (toothfish), one Polish vessel (krill).

General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM)

Area: Mediterranean, Black Sea and connecting waters.
Main stocks: all fishery resources.