The History of Fisheries Management and Scientific Advice – the ICNAF/NAFO History from the End of World War II to the Present

Abstract

Fisheries research and management in the Northwest Atlantic by Canada and the United States prior to 1949, as well as events which led to the establishment of the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (ICNAF), are briefly reviewed. The mandates, structures and objectives of both ICNAF and its successor organization, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), are separately described. The principal achievements of ICNAF (1950–79) and NAFO (1979–present) relative to cooperative scientific endeavor culminating in advice for fisheries management and to regulatory measures adopted by the respective commissions are chronologically summarized. The successes and failures of ICNAF and NAFO are discussed and contrasted.