North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission

What is NEAFC?
What is the NEAFC Regulatory Area?

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

Which are the Non Contracting Parties (NCPs)?

Who can fish in the RA?

Can the NEAFC Secretariat licence vessels to fish in the RA?
Who issues licences?
Who do I have to contact to obtain a licence?
Who do I contact if my vessel is flagged to another country?
What does my vessel need to have?
Do I need to record the catch?
Where is this information sent?

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 a 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 NCP are all the other Flag-States or fishing entities

Who can fish in the RA?

Vessels from a CP or a CNCP may be authorised to fish or perform other operations such as transhipments.

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

NEAFC's Secretariat does not licence vessels.

Who issues licences?

Vessels are licenced by Flag-States ministries or agencies responsible for fisheries. EU vessels are licenced by the European Commission

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 it 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 allowing continuous tracking. In case of technical failure, the vessel has one month to repair the fault.

• The vessel has to be marked so as to be easily identified
• The vessel has to mark gears.

Do I need to record the catch?

The catch must be recorded:

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

Where is this information sent?

This information is sent to the Fisheries Ministry or government agency of the Flag-State of the vessel, or if agreed by the Flag-State, directly to the NEAFC Secretary.