The meeting was attended by delegations from the member countries - the
Faroes, Greenland, Iceland and Norway, as well as observers from the
Governments of Canada, Denmark, Japan, Namibia and the Russian Federation.
The Ministers of Fisheries from all NAMMCO member countries also attended the
meeting, as did the Chairman of the Fisheries Committee of the Russian
Federation. A number of inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations
were also represented by observers at the meeting.
In his opening address, the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries, Jan Henry T. Olsen,
expressed his hope for Canada and the Russian Federation to help further
strengthen regional cooperation on marine mammal conservation and
management by joining NAMMCO. Dr. Jan Jurgens, Permanent Secretray of the
Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Namibia, gave a presentation
on the management of seals in Namibia and expressed his desire for close
cooperation between all countries with interests in ensuring the sustainable
utilisation of marine mammals.
Among major items dealt with by the Council was the report of the Scientific
Committee. Based on recent work carried out by the Scientific Committee, the
Council agreed to the following conclusions presented by the Management
Committee:
- It was confirmed that present removals of ringed seals in West Greenland and
Canada are sustainable.
- Current combined catches of harp and hooded seals in Greenland and Canada
are below estimates of replacement yields.
The Council was informed that work had begun in the Scientific Committee on
the revision of abundance estimates in the light of results from the comprehensive
North Atlantic Sightings Survey for cetaceans (NASS 95) carried out last summer.
NASS-95 was planned and organised by the Scientific Committee of NAMMCO.
The Council adopted the joint NAMMCO Control Scheme for the Hunting of
Marine Mammals, which includes both common elements for national inspection
of coastal whaling, as well as an international observation scheme for the
hunting of all marine mammals. It is the intention of NAMMCO member
countries to implement the Scheme or parts thereof by the 1997 hunting
season.
The Council decided further to request the Scientific Committee to focus its
attention on the food consumption of the minke whale, harp seal and hooded
seal in the North Atlantic, with an emphasis on the study of the potential
implications for commercially important fish stocks. As a follow-up to its recent
assessment of the grey seal in the North Atlantic, the Scientific Committee was
also requested to review the current state of knowledge of sealworm infestation,
and to consider the need for comparative studies in the western, central and
eastern North Atlantic coastal areas.
The Council identified the importance of accessible and reliable information
on marine mammals. In this connection, it was agreed that in 1996 the NAMMCO
Fund should be used for the development of a major information project on seals
and sealing. It was also agreed that NAMMCO should publish the results of work
generated through the Scientific Committee in the form of its own publication
series.
The Council endorsed the Kyoto Declaration and Plan of Action on the Sustainable
Contribution of Fisheries to Food Security.
The Council elected Arnor Halldorsson from Iceland as Vice Chairman. The
Faroe Islands offered to host the next annual meeting of the Council in
Torshavn in 1997.
For further information, contact the NAMMCO Secretariat
Tel. +47 776 45908 Fax. +47 776 45905
Posatl address: NAMMCO, University of Tromso, 9037 Tromso, Norway
Email: nammco-sec@nammco.no