The Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators (COLTO) has announced that the inaugural Toothfish Industry-Science Workshop is taking place in Aalesund, Norway, next week.
The workshop is being sponsored by Norwegian fishing gear suppliers, A.S. Fiskevegn and Mustad Autoline.
The workshop will bring together the major players in the toothfish industry, including representatives from nine of the 12 toothfish fishing nations; scientists from eight nations; a representative from the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR); as well as numerous members from the supporting industries such as fishing gear suppliers and toothfish traders.
This is the first event of its kind outside the annual CCAMLR meeting, where 25 member nations agree on measures to ensure conservation of Antarctic marine living resources, which includes rational use. This workshop, however, will have a sole focus on toothfish fisheries, with discussions between industry and scientists.
COLTO Chair, Martin Exel, said the concept originally came from scientists at CCAMLR. “They felt it would be a great idea to discuss in detail what is happening on the toothfish scene globally – including stock assessments; scientific underpinning of sustainable toothfish fisheries; changes to fishing gears which have avoided catching seabirds and marine mammals; elimination of illegal fishing; and the marketing of our product.”
