On 06 July 2020 the North Western Waters Advisory Council (NWWAC) hosted a virtual workshop on monitoring, control and enforcement of the Landing Obligation in collaboration with the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) and the North Western Waters Member States’ Control Expert Group (CEG).
On 08 July EU Commissioner, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius joined the virtual meeting of the NWWAC Executive Committee.
The North Western Waters Advisory Council (NWWAC) hosted a workshop “Re-imagining Gear in a Circular Economy” in Brussels on 28 January 2020 in conjunction with the Baltic Sea Advisory Council, North Sea Advisory Council and Pelagic Advisory Council. Discussion at the workshop focused on the fishing gear component of recently introduced EU legislation, specifically the design, monitoring, collecting and disposal of fishing gear.
The North Western Waters Advisory Council (NWWAC) and the Market Advisory Council (MAC), two of the eleven European Advisory Councils providing the EU Commission with strategic advice on sustainable fisheries management, hosted a Workshop on Plastics and the Seafood Supply Chain in Brussels on the 7th of November 2019. The workshop brought together members of several Advisory Councils with experts and scientists to explore in both broader and greater detail the impact of plastics on fisheries and market actors.
From the 25 to the 28 March, Dublin Castle will host the debate of the Advisory Councils of the North Western Waters and South Western Waters on the future of their fisheries. The event will bring together several fishing organisations from the Atlantic coast, and also the scientists and national administrations involved in the drawing up of sustainable management strategies for the future of their fisheries.
The North Sea and North Western Waters Regional Advisory Councils proposed the new initiative which has now been enthusiastically supported by ICES. At a recent meeting in Copenhagen it was agreed to go ahead and to establish terms of reference for the new task forces. Once established, the individual task forces will decide which fisheries and stock assessments should take priority.
The North Western Waters Regional Advisory Council (NWWRAC) will be holding its first official meeting in Galicia in order to examine the biological and socio-economic impact of the proposal for Regulation submitted by the Commission in March regarding a management plan for Northern hake, which is planned initially to come into force by 1 January 2010. Northern hake is a target species of great economic value for many EU vessels carrying on its fisheries activities in Grande Sole waters.
The 24th of April last, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Governance within the Common Fisheries Policy. This resolution reinforces the mutual interest shown by both the RACs and the EP in establishing a closer relationship between both organizations at a more institutionalized level.
The North Western Waters Regional Advisory Council (NWWRAC) will hold its next Executive Committee meeting in Paris the 21st of April where a number of key issues such as the review of the Common Fisheries Policy, the reform of the control policy or the marine spatial planning will be discussed with representatives of the EU Commission, national administrations from the Member States and the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES).
Dublin Castle provided an appropriate backdrop to the North Western Waters Regional Advisory Council (NWWRAC) meetings in Dublin on the 19th of November 2008, where members met to review work progress since the RACs inauguration in this very venue 3 years previously.
An international Seminar on Long Term Management (LTM) Plans was held the 11th and 12th of September at the seat of the Regional Council Pays de la Loire in Nantes (France). The event was co-organized by five Regional Advisory Councils (Baltic Sea, North Sea, North Western Waters, South Western Waters, Pelagic Species) and sponsored by Région Pays de la Loire and AGLIA.
The 2007 World Seafood Congress provided a most appropriate backdrop to the recent North Western Waters Regional Advisory Council (NWWRAC) meetings in Dublin. The NWWRAC Executive Committee and Annual General Assembly met on the 27-28th September 2007 to review a year filled with debates, challenges, and successes in the European fishing arena.
Cod stocks in the North Sea and North Western Waters are capable of recovery, a major symposium on cod recovery has heard.
The failing EU Cod Recovery Programme has prompted the North Western Waters and the North Sea Regional Advisory Councils to host a joint Symposium on Cod Recovery on 9 and 10 March next in Edinburgh. The Symposium, one of the most critical debates ever held on EU Cod Recovery, is set to offer findings that will inform the RACs’s advice to the EU Fisheries Commission on their soon to be revised Cod Recovery Programme.
The work of the North Western Waters Regional Advisory Council is progressing smoothly as the NWWRAC moves into its second year of operation.