In the Davis Strait between Greenland and Canada’s Baffin Island, where only the faintest rays of sunlight penetrate, swim strange-looking flat fish with both eyes on the right side of their heads. These are Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), which industrial bottom trawlers have fished here for decades. To get the halibut in Greenlandic waters, the […]
Greenland’s recent announcement that it will open a commercial fishery has triggered concerns in North American countries where salmon populations are declining.
Every winter, salmon in the north Atlantic migrate to the territory to feed in its waters. Over the past 10 years, Greenland has stuck to an agreement not to partake in commercial fishing of the salmon in order to conserve them.
The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) met in Ireland earlier in June, but no solution was reached. Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Keith Ashfield said that Greenland’s decision disappointed him.
He explained that the purpose of organisations such as NASCO is to encourage countries to cooperate with each other, and ensure the sustainability of fisheries. He said that Greenland’s actions do not comply with these objectives and the Canadian government urges it to comply with internationally acceptable levels.