Welcome to the North Sea Regional Advisory Council – NSRAC

• Press Release RACs Edinburgh Conference (10/28/2009)
• Press Release from CRPMEM Nord (09/08/2009)
• NSRAC pushes for self-regulation (03/06/2009)

• NSRAC Ltr to FF re Omega Meter (12/15/2009)
• Commission Response  from FF to NSRAC on Discards (10/14/2009)
• Response of the Commission to the Joint RAC letter on data for Deep Sea Species (01/09/2009)
• Specific Agreement No. 512.529783 between the EC and the NSRAC (03/31/2009)
• Response of the Commission to the NSRAC advice on Technical Conservation Measures for the North Sea (04/16/2009)
• NSRAC response to Non-paper on Fishing opportunities for 2010 (07/30/2009)
• NSRAC letter to Mr F Fotiadis on Discards (07/23/2009)
• NSRAC letter on proposed reforms of the Control Policy (07/23/2009)
• Response of the Commission to the initial NSRAC advice on functioning of the RAC’s (05/14/2009)
• Response of the Commission to the NSRAC advice on management of fish stocks without catch option tales (Category 6 Stocks) (04/23/2009)
• Response of the Commission to the NSRAC advice on Technical Conservation Measures for the North Sea (04/16/2009)
• ICES Benchmarking Workshop – Short lived species TOR (04/14/2009)
• Invitation from ICES to Benchmarking Workshop on Short lived species (04/14/2009)
• 20090331_Specific_Agreement_No_512_529783
• Specific Agreement No. 512.529783 between the EC and the NSRAC (03/31/2009)
• Response of the Commission to the NSRAC advice on CFP reform (03/05/2009)
• Response of the Commission to the Joint RAC letter on data for Deep Sea Species

• Initial opinion on the European Commission review of the functioning of RAC’s (04/20/2009)NSRAC Position on In Year review of the CRP (07/20/2009)
• NSRAC Position on Self Regulation (07/20/2009)
• Initial opinion on the European Commission review of the functioning of RAC’s (04/20/2009)
• NSRAC advice on Proposals for Control Regulation (03/31/2009)
• NSRAC advice on Non-paper: Managing Fish stocks without Catch Option Tables (03/25/2009)
• NSRAC paper on 2012 CFP Reform (02/23/2009)
• NSRAC Response to a non-paper on specific Technical Measures for the North Sea (01/08/2009)NSRAC Response to a proposal for a Council Regulation on conservation measures through Technical Measures (01/08/2009)

Other RACs

Baltic Sea RAC
North Western Waters RAC
South Western Waters RAC
Small Pelagic RAC
Distant waters RAC

DG PêcheDirection Générale des Pêches
Committees of the European Parliament – Pêche EUROPARL
DG Environnement
EUR-Lex: Documents d’intérêt public

Ministry of food, agriculture and fisheries(Danmark)
Ministère de l’agriculture et de la pêche (France)
Federal Minister of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture (Germany)
Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (Ireland)
Ministry of agriculture, nature management and fisheries (Netherlands)
Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentacion (Spain)
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries(Sweden)
UK – Fisheries (United Kingdom)
Department of Maritime Studies and International Transport

CNPMEMComité National des Pêches Maritimes et des Elevages Marins (France)
National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (United Kingdom)
SFO Scottish Fishermen’s Organisation Ltd (Scotland-United Kingdom)
Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (United Kingdom)

ICESConseil International pour l’Exploration de la Mer , CIEM
ACFM Advisory Committee for Fisheries Management , (ICES)
NAFO Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization , OPANO
NEAFC North-Est Atlantic Fisheries Commission , CPANE
IBSFC International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission
Commision OSPARCommission pour la protection du milieu marin de l’Atlantique du nord-est
Département des pêches de la FAO

The Institute for European Environmental Policy
JNCC , Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Sea Fisheries Department (Belgium)
North Sea Centre (Denmark)
Ifremer (France)
Federal Research Centre for Fisheries (Germany)
Irish Marine Institute (Ireland)
Norwegian Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Norway)
Norwegian College of Fishery Science (Norway)
Institute of Marine Research (Norway)
Institute of Oceanology (Poland)
Göteborg University Marine Research Centre (Sweden)
Tjärnö Marine Biological Laboratory (Sweden)
Kristineberg Marine Research Station (Sweden)
Swedish National Board of Fisheries (Sweden)
CEFAS Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences (United Kingdom)
North Atlantic Fisheries College (United Kingdom)
Fisheries Research Services (United Kingdom)
IMARES (Wageningen) (Netherlands)

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Fishery Bulletin Contents
Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science

ASCOBANS Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas
Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Sea , (ASCOBANS)
Convention on Migratory Species – Convention sur Espèces Migratrices
Internet Guide to International Fisheries Law
Oceans and law of the Sea

FAO Species identification and data
FAO Code de Conduite pour une Pêche Responsable FAO Fisheries Department
FIGIS
FishBase : A Global Information System on Fishes
EUROSTAT Statistical Offices of the European Communities
Fish Identification
Fish Information Service (FINS)
Expert Center for Taxonomic Identification
Serveur européen de données de commerciales
GLOBEFISH
Fishsafe Electronic safety mapping system
EuroFishServeur européen de données commerciales

Rationale of the working group

Composition of the group

• Christine Absil (Seas at Risk)
• Michael Andersen (Danmarks Fiskeriforening)
• Niels Wichmann (ACFA)
• Paula den Hartog (SNV), chair
•  Svend-Erik Andersen (Danmarks Fiskeriforening)
• Willem de Boer (SNV)
• Xavier Harlay (CME)

The members of the Executive Committee are as follows:

• AIPCE
• Birdlife International
• CNPMEM
• Danish Fishermen’s Association – 2 seats
• Deutscher Fischerei Verband
• European Anglers’ Alliance
• EAFPA
• EBCD
• EUCC – The Coastal Union
• European Transport Workers’ Federation
• NFFO
• North Atlantic Producers’ Association
• North Sea Women’s Network
• Rederscentrale CV
• SFF
• Seas at Risk
• Stichting van de Nederslandse Visserij – 2 seats
• Swedish Fishermen’s Federation
• UAPF
• WWF

Members of the General Assembly are as follows:

• Aberdeen Fish Producers’ Association Ltd
• Assoc of Fishmeal & Fishoil Producers Of Denmark
• Bundesverband der Deutschen Fischindustrie
• CEPESCA
• Cooperative Maritime Etaploise
• From Nord
• International Sport Fishing Federation (FIPS-M)
• Kottervisserij Nederland (VISNED)
• Nederlandse Vissersbond
• NESFO
• Scottish Fishermen’s Organisation Ltd
• SDVO
• Seafood Choices Alliance
• Union Nationale Des Syndicats Marins-Pecheurs CFTC

The North Sea Regional Advisory Council (NSRAC) has a two tier structure; a large General Assembly and a smaller Executive Committee.

The General Assembly meets at least once a year to approve the overall strategy of the NSRAC and to oversee the work of the Executive Committee. The meetings rotate between Member States

The General Assembly appoints the Executive Committee which can have up to 24 members. The Executive Committee manages the activities and the advice provided by the NSRAC

In the General Assembly and the Executive Committee two thirds of the seats are allotted to the fisheries sector and one third to the other interest groups affected by the CFP. At least one representative of the catching sector from each Member State must be represented on the Executive Committee (click for details of current membership)

The work of the Executive Committee is reinforced by a number of Working Groups (click to get a list of Working Groups), which consider particular subjects of interest to the NSRAC and make recommendations on possible courses of action to the Executive Committee. The Working Groups allow a wider range of people to become involved in the NSRAC, including scientists, fishers, environmental specialists, economists and others.

Observers attend the meetings of the Executive Committee and they may include representatives of the Member States and the Commission, and participants from adjacent countries with an interest in the fisheries of the North Sea, for example Norway.

The meetings of the General Assembly are open to the public.

Documents of the European Commission

• Council Regulation 2371 of December 2002 
• Council Decision of July 2004

Constitutive documents of the NSRAC

• Provisional Rules of Procedure for the North Sea Regional Advisory Council 
• Rules of Procedure July 07
• Communications Protocol 2005
• Environmental Impact Protocol Nov 06
• Modified Protocol for Advice 2006
• Protocol for Observers 2005
• SocioEconomic Protocol Final

Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) were set up to provide greater stakeholder involvement in fisheries management at a regional level.

The European Commission’s 2001 Green Paper ‘On the Future of the Common Fisheries Policy’ pointed out that the CFP had not delivered sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources and will need to be changed if it was to do so. The paper suggested a series of reforms to the CFP including the establishment of a network of regional advisory committees on fisheries to involve stakeholders in the fisheries in discussions about fisheries management.

RACs were formally proposed in the Roadmap for Reform of the CFP, authorised in Council Regulation 2371 of December 2002, and described in detail in a Council Decision of July 2004. The decision confirmed that RACs could submit recommendations and suggestions of their own or at the request of the Commission or a Member State, on matters relating to fisheries management to the Commission or Member State concerned. However, it has always been evident that that the RACs can and will play a much wider role.

An existing group of fishers and scientists, The North Sea Commission Fisheries Partnership, facilitated the setting up of the North Sea RAC. At meetings in Bergen, Hamburg, and Brussels in 2003 and 2004 the structure and organisation of the RAC was discussed and a firm proposal for a North Sea RAC prepared. An informal working group was established to draft advice on the management of flatfish stocks. Organisations who might wish to take part in the NSRAC were invited to submit a letter of application to the Partnership and an Interim Executive Committee then met in Copenhagen on September 15th 2004 and agreed a proposal which went forward to Member States and the Commission in October 2004. The NSRAC was formally agreed by the Commission on November 1st 2004 and held its first General Assembly in Edinburgh on November 4th 2004.

Governance of the seas has been on the agenda of governments and of the European Union since Rio. It is evident that a new, more integrated ocean policy is required, and that this policy must involve a wide range of stakeholders.

The principal objective of the NSRAC is to prepare and provide advice on the management of the fisheries of the North Sea on behalf of stakeholders in order to promote the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy. This will be done within the general aim of attaining the sustainable management of fisheries, incorporating an ecosystem based approach and based on the precautionary principle.

The principal objective of the NSRAC is to prepare and provide advice on the management of the fisheries of the North Sea on behalf of stakeholders in order to promote the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy. This will be done within the general aim of attaining the sustainable management of fisheries, incorporating an ecosystem based approach and based on the precautionary principle.