North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission

NOTING that in accordance with relevant principles of international law, the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) is the competent regional fishery management organisation, and in accordance with the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the North-East Atlantic fisheries (hereafter, the "Convention"), it has implemented conservation and management measures for particular stocks in the Convention Area;

NOTING Article 20 paragraph 4 of the Convention:

NOTING further Article 11 of the 1995 UNCLOS Agreement for the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fishing Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks: and

DESIRING to guide the expectations of possible future new members with regard to fishing opportunities in the NEAFC Regulatory Area;

HAVE AGREED to the following guidance:

Non Contracting Parties of NEAFC should be aware that presently and for the foreseeable future, stocks regulated by NEAFC are fully allocated, and fishing opportunities for new members likely to be limited to new fisheries (stocks not currently allocated),

New Contracting Parties will participate, on the same basis as existing Contracting Parties, in future allocations of stocks which are unregulated at the time when the application is made,

New Contracting Parties who were previously Cooperating Non Contracting Parties may request an allocation of a part of the relevant Co-operative quota. Such allocations will be done on a case by case basis.