Brussels, 08/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - On 5 May, the European Commission adopted a proposal establishing the Community position within the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO), and called on the EU Council of Ministers to grant it a mandate to negotiate on salmon protection measures on behalf of the EU.
In its proposal, the Commission states that the EU should support the adoption of the following measures by the NASCO: - stringent conservation and management measures which allow for the long-term sustainability of salmon and take into account the best scientific advice available; - measures to ensure the protection of vulnerable habitats and the restoration of such habitats that will permit the re-establishment of wild salmon where there are currently none; - the development and introduction of measures, in association with the salmon aquaculture industry, that will minimise the escape of farmed salmon to a level as close to zero as possible (minimisation of genetic and other biological interactions from salmon enhancement activities, minimisation of the risk of transfer of diseases and parasites to wild salmon stocks from aquaculture activities, and protection against the possible impact from transgenic salmonids on wild salmon stocks); - acceptance of applications for accession to the organisation from countries practising responsible fisheries.
The NASCO is responsible for wild salmon sea fishing activities throughout the North Atlantic. The contracting parties are the European Community, Canada, Denmark (on behalf of the Faroe Islands and Greenland), the United States, the Russian Federation, Iceland and Norway. (L.C./transl.rt)