The objective of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) is to contribute, through consultation and cooperation, to the conservation, restoration, enhancement and rational management of salmon stocks subject to the Convention taking into account the best scientific evidence available to it. The Convention applies to the salmon stocks that migrate beyond areas of fisheries jurisdiction of coastal nations of the Atlantic Ocean north of 36°N throughout their migratory range.

The objective of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) is to contribute, through consultation and cooperation, to the conservation, restoration, enhancement and rational management of salmon stocks subject to the Convention taking into account the best scientific evidence available to it. The Convention applies to the salmon stocks that migrate beyond areas of fisheries jurisdiction of coastal nations of the Atlantic Ocean north of 36°N throughout their migratory range.

Only Governments are members of NASCO, which has seven Parties: Canada, Denmark (in respect of the Faroe Islands & Greenland), the European Union, Norway, the Russian Federation and the United States of America. Iceland withdrew from NASCO with effect from 31 December 2009 because of financial considerations, but has indicated that it intends to re-accede to the Convention when the economic situation improves. NASCO also has 34 accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs), who are permitted to observe proceedings and present positions as a single body at NASCO meetings. NAMA is one of the accredited organizations, and Science and Policy Coordinator, Boyce Thorne-Miller represents us at annual meetings. This year she also served as the North American NGO representative on a review panel charged with commenting on member governments’ reports summarizing their respective accomplishments with respect to minimizing impacts on wild salmon by salmon aquaculture, introductions and transfers.

The Twenty-Seventh (2010) Annual Meeting of NASCO will be held in Québec City, Canada, 1 – 4 June 2010. The meeting is open to representatives of all NASCO Parties, Governments who are not Parties to the Convention, IGOs (International Governmental Organizations), and accredited NGOs. Boyce will attend this meeting and will participate in the Special Session on Aquaculture, Introductions and Transfers, during which she and other members of the review group will present their findings.

More information about the organization and the meeting can be found at the NASCO website www.nasco.int and official papers for the meeting can be viewed at the following web address: http://www.nasco.int/2010councildocs.html .

The Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar, is listed as endangered in the US where only a few river runs in Maine are still found. Our neighbor Canada has many more salmon and a more active aquaculture industry, although the US industry is building. Salmon aquaculture poses serious threats to wild Atlantic salmon, primarily through escapes that lead to interbreeding between farmed and wild salmon and the spread of diseases, especially parasitic sea lice, between farmed and wild salmon.

For more information about Atlantic salmon, see the NASCO website and the website for our fellow North American NGO, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, www.asf.ca . And look for additional information and NASCO meeting outcomes on this websit in the future.