European Union, Norway and the United Kingdom - fisheries consultations: agreed records 2024

Agreed records of consultations from meetings of delegations from the United Kingdom, Norway and the European Union, held between November and December 2023 on the joint management of shared North Sea stocks.


23 Monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) measures for joint stocks

23.1 The Delegations noted that for a comprehensive management regime, efficient and trustworthy MCS measures are crucial, and that strategic and operative MCS cooperation between the inspections services of the Parties is a prerequisite to improve compliance and to achieve a level playing field. Hence, the Delegations welcomed initiatives to improve dialogue and exchange experience between the inspection services to increase the general understanding of the Parties´ MCS regimes.

23.2 The Delegations also referred to the ‘Stand Alone Agreement’ signed November 2022 (Agreed Record of Conclusions of Fisheries Consultations between Norway, the EU, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and the UK on Control Measures for Pelagic Stocks in the North East Atlantic) where the parties agreed to apply the arrangements outlined in that Agreed Record at the latest from 1 January 2026.

23.3 In the Agreed Record the Parties agreed to apply the Terms of Reference for a CS MCS WG for 2023 and 2024. The Delegations agreed that monitoring, control and surveillance of the joint stock North Sea herring is covered by any relevant measures concluded for the four species covered by the coastal State agreements.

23.4 The Delegations referred to the decision in 2018 by the EU and Norway to establish a Working Group on MCS of Fisheries on Joint Stocks in the North Sea (NS MCS WG) under the terms of reference outlined in Annex IV. They also agreed the revised work plan for 2019-2024 outlined in Annex V.

23.5 The Delegations noted the work of the NS MCS WG in 2023, including meetings in Edinburgh (17-18 January), Brussels (31 May – 1 June) and Bergen (5-6 September).

23.6 The Norwegian Delegation informed the UK Delegation and EU Delegation that a new regulation regarding sampling and sampling plans for landings of fish for industrial purposes will be implemented from January 1, 2024.

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