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Recap: the 2025 Annual Meetings

The 2025 NASCO Annual Meetings were very kindly hosted by the UK Government, with strong support from the Welsh Government, in Cardiff, Wales. Representatives of the Parties and observers from France (in respect of St Pierre and Miquelon), ICES, four IPRIs and 22 NGOs attended the Meetings. The 95 delegates who attended in person had the opportunity to see the important habitat restoration work being carried out in the area. A further 29 delegates participated virtually in the Meetings.

Full details of each of the Meetings can be found in the Annual Reports of the Council, North American Commission, North-East Atlantic Commission, West Greenland Commission, Finance and Administration Committee and International Atlantic Salmon Research Board. The key outcomes of these Meetings are listed below:

  • Two Special Sessions were held in preparation for NASCO’s Fourth Reporting Cycle: one on the analyses conducted by NASCO’s Parties and jurisdictions on the threats and pressures to wild Atlantic salmon in each jurisdiction; and the other on the Report of the Working Group on Future Reporting. Following these sessions, a number of decisions were made in relation to NASCO’s fourth reporting cycle: see page 10 for full details;
  • NASCO’s new Wild Atlantic Salmon Atlas was launched during the 2025 Annual Meetings (see pg 7 for full details);
  • Council reached a number of decisions in relation to NASCO’s High-Level Action Plan including, but not limited to:
    –  adopting NASCO’s Outreach and Communications Strategy. The Secretariat was asked to work with a communications expert to develop concise branding guidelines (and associated templates) and develop a social media strategy (and implementation guidelines). The Secretariat was also asked to explore options for a Ministerial Meeting;
    –  adopting NASCO’s Position on Convention Change;
    –  adopting Generic Terms of Reference for the Working Groups for the Revision of NASCO’s Guidelines;
    –  asking the SSC to meet inter-sessionally to discuss the advice needed from ICES to enable delivery of NASCO’s Ten-Year Strategy.
  • Council adopted revised Terms of Reference for the International Atlantic Salmon Research Board and its Scientific Advisory Group. These new Terms of Reference facilitate IPRI participation on the Board and created Vice-Chair roles for the Board and SAG;
  • Council also agreed new Guidelines on the Use of Stock Rebuilding Programmes and Guidelines for Gene Banking for Wild Atlantic Salmon;
  • the NEA agreed Terms of Reference for the 2026 meeting of its Working Group on Gyrodactylus salaris. The report of that meeting will be available here and will be considered at the Commission’s 2026 Annual Meeting. The NEA also agreed that the Decision Regarding the Salmon Fishery in Faroese Waters would continue to apply in 2025 / 2026; and to consider existing co-operative approaches to the management of salmon catchments shared with other jurisdictions at its 2026 Annual Meeting;
  • the WGC reviewed the 2024 salmon fishery at West Greenland and agreed that the regulatory measure agreed in 2022, WGC(22)10, would continue to apply in 2025. 2025 would be final year of this measure,
    so it was agreed that the Commission would hold an Inter-Sessional Meeting in March 2026 to review the 2025 fishery and begin discussions on a new measure to apply from 2026. The report of that meeting will be made available here. The WGC also agreed a ‘Statement of Co-operation on the West Greenland Fishery Sampling Programmme’, WGC(25)07. This statement outlines the staff, technical support and co-ordination activities each member of the Commission planned to contribute to this highly important sampling programme in 2025. An update on the Programme will be given during the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Commission;
  • Council heard that the major discussion point of the FAC meeting had been the budget for 2026, largely related to the cost of the Secretariat hosting the 2026 Annual Meeting. The Secretariat had been asked to investigate ways to reduce these costs and find additional savings in other areas of the budget. This had been done, and the Budget recommended by
    the FAC included a ‘slimmed-down’ Annual Meeting in 2026, with fewer meeting rooms, no hospitality and reduced AV provision, deferring the start of the NASCO internship programme and other cost-savings.
    Council agreed on this Budget for 2026 and that it would hold an Inter-Sessional Meeting later in 2025 to consider different meeting models for future Annual Meetings. The report of that meeting is available here;
  • following further recommendations from the FAC, Council adopted a Staff Handbook and Staff Rules and rules relating to a NASCO Internship Programme;
  • the Board agreed to move forward with its potential new signature project – a study of marine growth in wild Atlantic salmon across the North Atlantic. As the next step in developing this project, the Board set-up a Steering Committee to co-ordinate scale sample digitisation and identify potential funding sources. The Steering Committee’s reports will be made available here and be considered at the Board’s 2026 Annual Meeting.
  • The following office-bearers were elected (or re- elected) for a period of two years from the close of the 2025 Annual Meetings:
    –  Seamus Connor (UK) – President
    –  Raoul Bierach (Norway) – Vice President – John Burrows (USA) – NAC Vice-Chair
    –  Catherine McGinty (EU) – WGC Vice-Chair – Rebecca Wintering (USA) – FAC Chair
    –  Dale Marsden (Canada) – FAC Vice-Chair
    –  Peder Fiske (Norway) – Board Chair
    –  Augusta Jerimiassen (Denmark (in respect of the Faroe Islands and Greenland) – Board Vice-Chair
    (elected by correspondence following the Annual Meeting)