A delegations from Canada, the People’s Republic of China, the Kingdom of Denmark, the European Union, Iceland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Kingdom of Norway, the Russian Federation and the United States of America met in Washington, D.C. from 1-3 December 2015 to discuss their common interest in preventing unregulated commercial fishing in the high seas area of the central Arctic Ocean.
The following is a Chairman’s Statement issued by the U.S. Department of State, which attempts to capture the basic elements of the meeting but does not necessarily reflect the views of any individual delegation.
The meeting followed the signing of the Declaration Concerning the Prevention of Unregulated High Seas Fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean by Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark in respect of Greenland, the Kingdom of Norway, the Russian Federation and the United States of America on 16 July 2015 (“the Declaration”).
The meeting was exploratory in nature. A number of delegations made clear that they did not at present have a mandate to negotiate any particular instrument relating to the topic.
Norway offered to host a follow-up meeting on scientific matters. Delegations reviewed possible Terms of Reference (ToR) for this meeting, with a view to finalizing these ToR in the near future. The meeting also considered several options for organizing future scientific collaboration on this topic.
The meeting noted the existence of an applicable international legal framework for fisheries management, as reflected in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement and numerous other international instruments. However, the meeting also noted that, at present, there is no international mechanism to regulate commercial fishing in the high seas area of the central Arctic Ocean, except for the portion of this area that is within the Convention Area of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission.
The meeting recognized the interests of Arctic residents, particularly Arctic indigenous peoples, in this topic and expressed the intention to continue to engage with them.
The meeting considered various approaches to prevent unregulated commercial fishing in the high seas portion of the central Arctic Ocean. Not all of these approaches are mutually exclusive. Indeed, a number of these approaches could be combined in a step-by-step or evolutionary fashion. Suggested approaches include:
Although the U.S. proposal was not subject to negotiation at this meeting, some delegations provided preliminary reactions to it and suggested ways in which the proposal could be strengthened or clarified. The United States will circulate an updated proposal to all participants in advance of the next meeting on this topic.
The United States offered to host a follow-up meeting to continue the policy discussions and will proceed with the planning for that meeting unless another delegation steps forward soon with an offer to host it. The meeting is expected to occur in the spring of 2016. The venue and precise timing of the next meeting will be decided through correspondence.
To read the original statement, click here.
Photo credit: Tomas Griger / PhotoSpin.