US: The North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission advances ecosystem-based management measures, but overfishing concerns persist for blue whiting, mackerel, and herring

The North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) has taken a step toward ecosystem-based management of stocks in the region, but the 2024 total allowable catch (TAC) allocations of overfished pelagic species is yet to be decided. NEAFC met from 14 to 17 November 2023 to discuss management measures for a number of species in its coverage area, including the overfished blue whiting, mackerel, and Atlanto-Scandian herring. Through the meeting, NEAFC made acknowledgements of the potential impacts of climate change on the environment and ecosystems, and committed to addressing the issue “through its management and science processes.”NEAFC also committed to increasing monitoring and setting a 15 January 2024 launch date for its electronic reporting system. The system will be combined with a new online interface to help inspectors see data from individual vessels on the high seas, the regional fishery management organization said.“This not only helps with enforcement, but the data ...