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What is NEAFC?

NEAFC is an international organisation. It has legal personality and legal capacity. It regulates fisheries in the Regulatory Area (RA), and can, with the consent of those coastal states involved, regulate waters under the jurisdiction of Contracting Parties.

What is the NEAFC Regulatory Area (RA )?

The RA means the waters which lie beyond those under the fisheries jurisdiction of the Contracting Parties. It contains international waters in the NEAFC Convention Area.

Which are the Contracting Parties (CPs)?

The Contracting Parties are the EU, Denmark (in respect of the Faroe Islands and Greenland), Iceland, Norway and the Russian Federation.

Which are NEAFC's Co-operating Non-Contracting Parties (CNCPs)?

Flag States that have a real interest in fisheries in the northeast Atlantic can be accorded Co-operating Non-Contracting Party status. This will allow them to authorise vessels flying their flag to operate in the NEAFC area and they will enforce NEAFC's measures. There are at present five CNCPs: Belize, Canada , Cook Islands, Japan and New Zealand.

Which are the Non Contracting Parties (NCPs)?

The NCPs are all the other Flag States or fishing entities

Who can fish in the RA?

Vessels from a Contracting Party or a Cooperative Non-Contracting Party may be authorised to fish or perform other operations such as transshipments.

Can the NEAFC Secretariat license vessels to fish in the RA?

NEAFC's Secretariat does not license vessels. This means you cannot obtain a licence for your vessel by contacting the NEAFC Secretariat directly, you must first contact your national fishing authority. When licencing decisions have been made by the appropriate authorities, it is the role of the NEAFC Secretariat to make the information available to fishing inspectors and other officials within NEAFC Contracting Parties.

Who issues licences?

Vessels are licensed by Flag States' ministries or agencies responsible for fisheries; EU vessels are licensed by the European Commission. The NEAFC Secretariat keeps a central list of vessels licensed by all the Contracing Parties.

 

Who do I have to contact to obtain a licence?

You should contact the Flag State authority responsible for licensing your vessel. For example, if the vessel is a Norwegian vessel, you would have to contact the Norwegian Fisheries Ministry.

Who do I contact if my vessel is flagged to another country?

The Fisheries Ministry or the government agency of the vessel's Flag State must be contacted to obtain authorisation and notification for the vessel - this will only be possible if the FS has Cooperating Non-Contracting Party status. The Flag State should contact NEAFC and apply for Cooperating Non-Contracting Party status.

What does my vessel need to have?

The system required may vary from country to country, so you must
get specific details from the Flag State of your vessel, but they will
normally include:

  • A Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) :

(For fishing vessels exceeding 20 metres between perpendiculars or 24 metres overall length)

This system is able to automatically transmit messages and allow
continuous tracking. In the case of technical failure, the vessel has one
month to repair the fault.

Do I need to record the catch?

Yes, The catch must be recorded:

  • Quantities on board before each entering and exiting the Regulatory Area
  • Weekly catches
  • Quantities transhipped by species on/off loaded
  • Landing information

For full details of how and what to report please consult Articles 9 - 13 of the NEAFC Scheme of Control and Enforcement

Where is this information sent?

This information is sent to the Fisheries Ministry or government agency of the Flag State of the vessel who then sends it to the NEAFC Secretary.
    

Conditions of Advice

This advice has been written to sum up a part of the NEAFC "Scheme of Control and Enforcement". It must not be used as the basis for any decision. The "Scheme of Control and Enforcement" must be consulted. Commercial operators are required to deal directly with the Flag State of their vessel in relation to these matters and seek any confirmation or advice from these officials. NEAFC cannot be responsible for any misunderstanding of this advice