Council Decision (EU) 2019/863 of 14 May 2019 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), and repealing the Decision of 26 May 2014 on the position to be adopted, on behalf of the Union, in the NAFO (c. 863)

ANNEX I U.K. The position to be taken on the Union's behalf in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO)

1. PRINCIPLES U.K.

In the framework of the NAFO, the Union shall:

a)

act in accordance with the objectives and principles pursued by the Union within the common fisheries policy (CFP), notably through the precautionary approach and the aims related to the maximum sustainable yield as laid down in Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, to promote the implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management and limiting environmental impacts of fishing activities, to avoid and reduce, as far as, possible unwanted catches, and gradually eliminate discards, and to minimise the impact of fishing activities on marine ecosystems and their habitats, as well as, through the promotion of economically viable and competitive Union fisheries, to provide a fair standard of living for those who depend on fishing activities and take account of the interests of consumers;

b)

work towards an appropriate involvement of stakeholders in the preparation phase for NAFO measures and ensure that measures adopted within the NAFO Commission are in accordance with the NAFO Convention;

c)

ensure that measures adopted within the NAFO Commission are consistent with international law, and in particular with the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 1995 UN Agreement relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, the 1993 Agreement to promote compliance with international conservation and management measures by fishing vessels on the high seas and the 2009 Food and Agriculture Organization Port State Measures Agreement;

d)

promote positions consistent with the best practices of regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) in the same area;

e)

seek consistency and synergy with the policy that the Union is pursuing as part of its bilateral fisheries relations with third countries, and ensure coherence with its other policies notably in the field of external relations, employment, environment, trade, development, research and innovation;

f)

ensure that the Union's international commitments are respected;

g)

be in line with the Council Conclusions of 19 March 2012 on the Commission Communication on the external dimension of the common fisheries policy(1);

h)

aim to create a level playing field for the Union fleet within the NAFO regulatory area based on the same principles and standards as those applicable under Union law, and to promote the uniform implementation of those principles and standards;

i)

be in line with the Council conclusions(2) on the Joint communication by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European Commission on International ocean governance: an agenda for the future of oceans (3) and promote measures to support and enhance the effectiveness of the NAFO and, where relevant, improve its governance and performance (in particular as regards science, compliance, transparency and decision-making) as a contribution to the sustainable management of oceans in all its dimensions;

j)

promote coordination between RFMOs and regional sea conventions (RSCs) and cooperation with global organisations, as applicable, within their mandates, where appropriate;

k)

promote cooperation mechanisms amongst non-tuna RFMOs similar to the so-called Kobe process for tuna RFMOs.

2. ORIENTATIONS U.K.

The Union shall, where appropriate, endeavour to support the adoption of the following actions by the NAFO:

a)

conservation and management measures for fisheries resources in the NAFO regulatory area based on the best scientific advice available, and the precautionary approach including Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and quotas or effort regulation for living marine biological resources regulated by the NAFO, which would bring or maintain the achievement of the maximum sustainable yield exploitation rate at the latest by 2020. Where necessary, specific measures for stocks, which suffer from overfishing shall be considered in order to keep the fishing effort in line with available fishing opportunities;

b)

measures to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in the regulatory area, including IUU vessel listing;

c)

measures to reinforce fisheries' scientific data collection and promote better cooperation between the industry and scientists;

d)

monitoring, control and surveillance measures in the NAFO regulatory area in order to ensure efficiency of control and compliance with measures adopted within the NAFO;

e)

measures to minimise the negative impact of fishing activities on marine biodiversity and marine ecosystems and their habitats, including measures to reduce marine pollution and prevent the discharge of plastics at sea and reduce the impact on marine biodiversity and ecosystems of plastics present at sea, protective measures for vulnerable marine ecosystems in the regulatory area in line with the NAFO Convention, while taking into account the FAO International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas, measures to avoid and reduce as far as possible unwanted catches, including in particular vulnerable marine species, and to gradually eliminate discards;

f)

measures to reduce the impact of Abandoned, Lost or Otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) in the ocean and to facilitate the identification and recovery of such gear;

g)

measures aimed at the prohibition of fisheries conducted solely for the purpose of harvesting shark fins and requiring that all sharks are landed with each fin naturally attached;

h)

common approaches with other RFMOs, where appropriate, in particular those involved in fisheries management in the same region;

i)

developing approaches related to tackling impacts of non-fishing activities on the marine biological resources in the regulatory area;

j)

recommendations, where appropriate and to the extent permitted under the relevant constituent documents, encouraging the implementation of the Work in Fishing Convention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO);

k)

additional technical measures based on advice from the subsidiary bodies and working groups of NAFO.

(1)

7087/12 REV 1 ADD 1 COR 1.

(2)

7348/1/17 REV 1 of 24.3.2017.

(3)

JOIN(2016) 49 final of 10.11.2016.