Post by Hoppy on Jun 25, 2007 17:19:20 GMT -1
Major Salmon Agreement in Greenlandic waters
Written By: Orri Vigfússon
On Date: 4/6/2007
NASF and ASF signed a new Salmon Agreement with the Greenland´s KNAPK. This is a seven-year moratorium agreement closing all commercial salmon fisheries in Greenlandic territorial waters, decommissioning of nets, as well as an agreement to reduce by-catch of salmon, minimize subsistence fisheries and limit supply to hospitals and old people´s homes.
Compensation for the moratoria will go to projects to redirect commercial netsmen to alternative sustainable fisheries in Greenlands´s inshore fishing industry and provide employment in coastal communities, aimed at promoting sustainable use of marine resources, benefit marine conservation, all aimed at maintaining a zero commercial quota at NASCO.
The North Atlantic Salmon Fund, NASF, is a group of voluntary conservation groups who have come together to restore stocks of wild Atlantic salmon to their historic abundance. – nasf@vortex.is - www.nasfonline.org
Rcd today From Chris Poupard, Chairman of our delgation to NASCO.
The NASF press release implies that their recent agreement with KNAPK (Greenland Hunters and Fishers) has closed the commercial fishery. This is not strictly true. There has been no overtly "commercial" fishing at Greenland for the past six years. This is because NASCO negotiated a quota limited to the subsistence fishery ie. for internal consumption within Greenland. This has varied between 14 and 20 tonnes over the period, but lately is creeping upwards - last year it was 23 tonnes.
The NASCO agreement is between governments; the NASF agreement is betweeen private organisations. There has been an agreement running between NASF and KNAPK for the last three years which has also permitted salmon fishing for subsistence purposes. We believe the NASF agreement costs about $500,000. Quite why NASF should want to pay KNAPK this money when there is an inter-governmental agreement for the same thing, is beyond most European NGOs. However, the N American NGOs regard it as "re-inforcement" of the treaty deal. The fishery at Greenland impacts partciularly on N American stocks , which make up about 70% of the fish at Greenland.
The NASF/KNAPK deal would be useful if it persuaded them to cut down the subsistence fishery. 20 tonnes is about 10,000 msw fish (7,000 to N America, 3,000 to Europe) which we can ill-afford to lose. Time will tell if this is the case, but there was no sign of this happening in the last three years, indeed it went up last year.
I'd be grateful if you could spead this info about. Its important anglers appreciate what is really going on out there and the work we are doing quietly on their behalf trying to influence the governments at NASCO.
Best wishes
Chris P
Written By: Orri Vigfússon
On Date: 4/6/2007
NASF and ASF signed a new Salmon Agreement with the Greenland´s KNAPK. This is a seven-year moratorium agreement closing all commercial salmon fisheries in Greenlandic territorial waters, decommissioning of nets, as well as an agreement to reduce by-catch of salmon, minimize subsistence fisheries and limit supply to hospitals and old people´s homes.
Compensation for the moratoria will go to projects to redirect commercial netsmen to alternative sustainable fisheries in Greenlands´s inshore fishing industry and provide employment in coastal communities, aimed at promoting sustainable use of marine resources, benefit marine conservation, all aimed at maintaining a zero commercial quota at NASCO.
The North Atlantic Salmon Fund, NASF, is a group of voluntary conservation groups who have come together to restore stocks of wild Atlantic salmon to their historic abundance. – nasf@vortex.is - www.nasfonline.org
Rcd today From Chris Poupard, Chairman of our delgation to NASCO.
The NASF press release implies that their recent agreement with KNAPK (Greenland Hunters and Fishers) has closed the commercial fishery. This is not strictly true. There has been no overtly "commercial" fishing at Greenland for the past six years. This is because NASCO negotiated a quota limited to the subsistence fishery ie. for internal consumption within Greenland. This has varied between 14 and 20 tonnes over the period, but lately is creeping upwards - last year it was 23 tonnes.
The NASCO agreement is between governments; the NASF agreement is betweeen private organisations. There has been an agreement running between NASF and KNAPK for the last three years which has also permitted salmon fishing for subsistence purposes. We believe the NASF agreement costs about $500,000. Quite why NASF should want to pay KNAPK this money when there is an inter-governmental agreement for the same thing, is beyond most European NGOs. However, the N American NGOs regard it as "re-inforcement" of the treaty deal. The fishery at Greenland impacts partciularly on N American stocks , which make up about 70% of the fish at Greenland.
The NASF/KNAPK deal would be useful if it persuaded them to cut down the subsistence fishery. 20 tonnes is about 10,000 msw fish (7,000 to N America, 3,000 to Europe) which we can ill-afford to lose. Time will tell if this is the case, but there was no sign of this happening in the last three years, indeed it went up last year.
I'd be grateful if you could spead this info about. Its important anglers appreciate what is really going on out there and the work we are doing quietly on their behalf trying to influence the governments at NASCO.
Best wishes
Chris P