The EU, Canada, China, Denmark (for Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Iceland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Norway, Russia and the United States met in Ottawa on 29 and 30 May to ensure the smooth entry into force of the agreement to prevent unregulated high seas fisheries in the central Arctic Ocean (see EUROPE 12206/26).
On the basis of the scientific information collected, the parties will decide on management measures for exploratory fisheries in the agreement area and whether to allow vessels to fly their flag to engage in commercial fishing.
The delegations decided to set up an interim scientific group to coordinate the work of the scientific experts covered by the Agreement. The latter will have to set up a “Joint Scientific Research and Monitoring Programme”. The group of scientists will meet for the first time in February 2020 at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy.
Scientific expeditions. In Ottawa, the EU announced two high-seas scientific expeditions to the central Arctic Ocean, one starting in September 2019 (MOSAiC) and the other in autumn 2020 (Oden expedition), to assess possible fish stocks. The results of these actions will contribute to the future joint programme.
Delegations also discussed the integration of indigenous and local knowledge and the importance of the participation of representatives of Arctic communities, including Arctic indigenous peoples, in the implementation of the joint scientific research programme provided for in the Agreement. Canada will organise a workshop on this topic in late fall 2019. Its results will feed into the scientific meeting organised by the EU next year.
Many regional bodies have already developed conservation and management measures governing exploratory fisheries. A compilation and evaluation of these existing measures will be a first step in the further development of conservation and management measures governing exploratory fisheries in the central Arctic Ocean, the Commission explains. A preparatory conference is planned for mid-2020 to take stock of developments and decide on next steps. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)