Coastal states negotiations on the joint management of Atlanto-Scandian herring ended this week without any conclusive result.
The Faroe Islands, European Union, Iceland, Norway and the Russian Federation gathered to discuss the interim allocation for the fisheries in 2014.
They failed to agree on the allocation key of the stock for 2014, despite the "increasing urgency" of the situation which is ongoing.
Opening the negotiations, Herluf Sigvaldsson, Faroese chief negotiator, said: “It is indeed deeply concerning that there is no joint agreement in place on the allocation key.”
“As well as this, the most recent advice from ICES on the Atlanto-Scandian herring which alerts up to the negative trend in the stock makes the need for an agreement on the allocation key crucial,” he added.
The parties did agree to set up a joint scientific working group, as proposed by the Faroe Islands, to collect information on the distribution and abundance of the herring from 1995 to 2013.
It was also agreed to limit the total allowable catch of Atlanto-Scandian herring for 2014 to 418,487 tonnes, as advised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
The results from the joint scientific working group are to form the foundation for the 2015 management arrangement of Atlanto-Scandian herring.
Negotiations will continue on 10 December 2013.
