North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization | est 1984

Conservation Commitments

Conservation Commitments: Implementing NASCO’s Resolutions, Agreements and Guidelines

NASCO has adopted Resolutions, Agreements and Guidelines that address the Organization’s principal areas of concern for the management of salmon stocks. In 2005 it was agreed that ‘NASCO will be committed to the measures and agreements it develops and actively review progress’ (CNL(05)49).

Each Party / jurisdiction developed plans, detailing measures to be taken over five to six year periods, with each period referred to as a reporting cycle, in relation to three areas of concern:

NASCO’s reporting cycles provide a succinct, transparent, fair and balanced approach for reporting on the implementation of NASCO’s Resolutions, Agreements and Guidelines by the jurisdictions. As such they are an important mechanism to strengthen the implementation of NASCO’s Resolutions, Agreements and Guidelines and to hold the Parties / jurisdictions accountable to them.

NASCO’s Ten-Year Strategy and Action Plan, CNL(24)71rev, identifies NASCO’s unique position to provide leadership in addressing the range of threats to wild Atlantic salmon and support its conservation and recovery, being the only inter-governmental organization with regulatory competency for wild Atlantic salmon fisheries. NASCO is the pre-eminent convener of the wild Atlantic salmon community throughout the North Atlantic Ocean, including governments, Indigenous Peoples, Non-Governmental Organizations, fishers, environmental organizations and other relevant actors.

NASCO’s fourth reporting cycle has been developed as part of its Action Plan. To inform the fourth reporting cycle, each Party / jurisdiction carried out a stressor analysis before June 2025, to enable an objective understanding of the key threats to wild Atlantic salmon in each jurisdiction.

Fourth Reporting Cycle (2026 – 2032)

The fourth reporting cycle builds on objective analysis of stressors by each Party / jurisdiction, to enable a reporting cycle balancing simplicity, effectiveness and transparency and to simplify accountability through a limited number of specific outcomes and clear metrics. Two main components comprise the fourth reporting cycle:

  • Conservation Commitments: Developing and reporting on Parties’ / jurisdictions’ individual Conservation Commitments that demonstrate their individual commitments towards addressing the highest priority identified stressors within each Party / jurisdiction through a limited number of actions that relate clearly to the conservation of wild Atlantic salmon.
  • Performance Indicators: Reporting on theme-based Performance Indicators to demonstrate Parties’ / jurisdictions’ progress towards the achievement of NASCO’s Resolutions, Agreements and Guidelines.

The reporting of catch data is required each year under Article 15 of the Convention and will continue to be provided under the structure of the fourth reporting cycle.

Conservation Commitments

Parties / jurisdictions will each develop their Conservation Commitments in relation to the key stressors identified in their individual stressor analysis presented at NASCO’s 2025 Annual Meeting.

The three stressors identified as highest priority in each stressor analysis will form the basis for each Party’s / jurisdiction’s Conservation Commitments Report (CCR). If any of the three stressors in each CCR are not one of the three highest priorities identified in the stressor analysis, a justification must be provided.

To address each of the three highest-priority stressors identified, each Party / jurisdiction must provide details of one to three specific actions per stressor that they plan to implement. The actions related to each stressor must result in the improvement of conditions for wild Atlantic salmon through the effective management, i.e. removal or reduction, of the relevant stressor. Each action will be developed and reviewed in accordance with criteria agreed by NASCO – including that it has a clear and measurable tangible outcome. Collectively, the overall impact of the combined actions must be urgent and transformative. These aspects will enable an understanding of the progress towards the achievement of NASCO’s Vision, Mission and Strategic Goal as stated in NASCO’s Ten-Year Strategy and Action Plan, CNL(24)71rev.

Work being carried out by all relevant actors in each Party / jurisdiction that can contribute to the planning and delivery of an action should be included, such as the work of stakeholders and Indigenous Peoples representatives and institutions (IPRIs). Input from, and engagement with, stakeholders and IPRIs will be reported on in each CCR. Reporting will be carried out via a web-based form, a departure from earlier reporting cycles. Each CCR will be a public-facing document. The schedule for the review of, and reporting on, the CCR is available in document CNL(25)57. CCRs will be developed by Parties / jurisdictions in 2026 and reporting on progress will be done annually from 2027. The reviews by NASCO’s Conservation Commitment Reports Review Group will be carried out biennially in 2028, 20230 and 2032. The Terms of Reference for the Review Group established to review the CCRs are available in document CNL(25)56.

Performance Indicators

The theme-based Performance Indicators include between six and 12 key metrics for each theme area that will serve as indicators of progress towards reducing the threats associated with fisheries and aquaculture and increasing the productive capacity of freshwater habitats. These will be reported on annually by Parties / jurisdictions, with the first round commencing in 2027. Reporting will be carried out via a web-based form, a departure from earlier reporting cycles. The reports will be public-facing documents. The reporting schedule is available in document CNL(25)57. The Performance Indicators will not be reviewed. However, the selected Performance Indicators will help NASCO’s Council assess progress towards the achievement of NASCO’s Resolutions, Agreements and Guidelines.

Previous Reporting Cycles

Prior to 2024, NASCO’s jurisdictions completed three reporting cycles. The key documents for the first to third reporting cycles were Implementation Plans and Annual Progress Reports: