NASCO focuses on the protection, development, and rational utilization of salmon stocks in the North Atlantic.
Iceland has re-entered the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO), as announced by Svandísar Svavarsdóttir, Iceland’s Minister of Food.
The decision, made in March 2023, restores Iceland’s membership in the international body, which it had left in 2009 following the collapse of its banking system.
Founded in Reykjavík in 1984, NASCO focuses on the protection, development, and rational utilization of salmon stocks in the North Atlantic. The organization counts among its members the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark (representing the Faroe Islands and Greenland), the European Union, Canada, Norway, and Russia, along with over 20 interest organizations holding audience membership.
Iceland’s renewed membership comes at a crucial time as NASCO tackles key issues like research on the feeding patterns of wild salmon populations, the rising threat of invasive humpback salmon, and the impact of fish farming on wild salmon.
Acting Minister of Food, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, expressed optimism about Iceland’s rejoining NASCO.
