---
title: "NAFO WG-EAFFM in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; VMEs reassessment and 2027 bottom-fishing options"
sdDatePublished: "2026-09-14T16:51:00Z"
source: "http://www.nafo.int/Portals/0/PDFs/COM-SC/2026/com-scdoc26-02.pdf"
topics:
  - name: "fishing"
    identifier: "medtop:20000561"
  - name: "environmental policy"
    identifier: "medtop:20000423"
  - name: "international organisation"
    identifier: "medtop:20000644"
  - name: "climate change"
    identifier: "medtop:20000418"
locations:
  - "Halifax"
---


NAFO WG-EAFFM in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; VMEs reassessment and 2027 bottom-fishing options

com-scdoc26-02 WG-EAFFMRpt Aug2026

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization

www.nafo.int
Serial No. N7751

NAFO/COM-SC Doc. 26-02
Report of the NAFO Joint Commission–Scientific Council Working Group on Ecosystem Approach
Framework to Fisheries Management (WG-EAFFM) Meeting
03-05 August 2026
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
1.
Opening by the co-Chairs, Mar Sacau Cuadrado (European Union) and Elizabethann Mencher (United
States of America) ............................................................................................................................................................................. 2
2.
Appointment of Rapporteur ......................................................................................................................................................... 2
3.
Adoption of Agenda .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2
4.
Presentation of Scientific Council responses to Commission requests for advice (COM Doc. 25-13)
relevant to WG-EAFFM ................................................................................................................................................................... 2
5.
VME and SAI Assessments ............................................................................................................................................................. 2
a. Update on the centralized data repository (COM Request 6.a) ............................................................................. 2
b. Update on reassessment of VMEs and impact of bottom fisheries on VMEs for 2027 including
potential management options in the reassessment of bottom fisheries (COM Request 6.b) ................. 3
6.
Review of the bottom fishing closure dates........................................................................................................................... 4
7.
Ecosystem Roadmap ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4
a. Ecosystem Roadmap Document (COM Request 5) ...................................................................................................... 4
b. TCI App............................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
8.
Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) (COM Request 6.c) .............................................. 5
9.
Scoping document for potential meeting to explore approaches for integrating information related to
climate change throughout Scientific Council operations (COM Request 10) ....................................................... 5
10.
Continued discussions on Greenland shark bycatch ......................................................................................................... 6
11.
Other Business .................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
a. Scientific Council workload ................................................................................................................................................... 6
b. Performance Review ................................................................................................................................................................. 6
12.
Recommendations ............................................................................................................................................................................ 6
13.
Adoption of the Report ................................................................................................................................................................... 7
14.
Adjournment ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Annex 1. List of Participants ......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Annex 2. Agenda .............................................................................................................................................................................. 10

2
Report of WG-EAFFM,
03–05 August 2026
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization

www.nafo.int
Report of the NAFO Joint Commission–Scientific Council Working Group on Ecosystem Approach
Framework to Fisheries Management (WG-EAFFM) Meeting
03-05 August 2026
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
1.
Opening by the co-Chairs, Mar Sacau Cuadrado (European Union) and Elizabethann Mencher
(United States of America)
The meeting was opened by the co-Chairs, Mar Sacau Cuadrado (European Union) and Elizabethann Mencher
(United States of America), at 09:32 hours (UTC -3 hours) on Monday, 03 August 2026. The co-Chairs welcomed
participants attending in-person and virtually from Canada, Denmark (in respect of Faroe Islands and
Greenland), European Union, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, and the United
States of America, and the Chairs of the Commission and the Scientific Council (Annex 1).
2.
Appointment of Rapporteur
The NAFO Secretariat was appointed as rapporteur of this meeting.
3.
Adoption of Agenda
The working group agreed to add one additional item under agenda item 7 to discuss the prototype TCI app
developed by the Scientific Council for assessing candidate TAC options in relation to the 2TCI Ecosystem
Reference Point. Additionally, two items under “Other Business” were added: an update on the Scientific
Council’s workload and an update on the ad hoc virtual working group to consider the initiation of a potential
third Performance Review of NAFO (WG-PR).
The agenda was adopted following the revisions above and is outlined in Annex 2.
4.
Presentation of Scientific Council responses to Commission requests for advice (COM Doc. 25-13)
relevant to WG-EAFFM
The co-Chair of WG-EAFFM, Mar Sacau Cuadrado (European Union), provided a summary of the Scientific
Council advice relevant to the WG-EAFFM (SCS Doc. 26/12). The co-Chair presented a summarized overview
of each of the responses, noting that the advice would be discussed in detail in subsequent agenda items.
The working group thanked the Scientific Council for their work and the co-Chair for the presentation.
5.
VME and SAI Assessments
a.
Update on the centralized data repository (COM Request 6.a)
On behalf of the Scientific Council, Andrew Kenny (United Kingdom) provided an update on the response to
Commission request #6.a on the centralized data repository. Andrew Kenny reported on the ongoing work to
develop and populate the repository, including plans to incorporate additional data layers (e.g. VME KDE and
SDM files, gridded biomass), together with associated metadata and documentation to support traceability and
reproducibility and to ensure appropriate recognition of data contributors through a standard
acknowledgement statement. The repository was noted as an important tool for the Scientific Council during
the upcoming SAI reassessment process. The working group thanked the Scientific Council for the work to date
and appreciated the progress.

3
Report of WG-EAFFM,
03–05 August 2026
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization

www.nafo.int
b.
Update on reassessment of VMEs and impact of bottom fisheries on VMEs for 2027 including
potential management options in the reassessment of bottom fisheries (COM Request 6.b)
The working group reviewed the Scientific Council response to Commission request #6.b, which noted that the
SC had updated the delineation of VMEs in the NAFO Regulatory Area using data from the research vessel
surveys conducted between 1995-2024. The general areas of the updated VMEs are highly consistent with prior
analyses. SC notes the estimated areas of most VME functional groups increased relative to the 2019
assessment, with large gorgonian corals and black corals showing comparatively little change. The largest
increase was observed for small gorgonian corals, which also identified new polygons on the Flemish Cap, some
of which overlap with existing closures and thereby increase their conservation value. Despite these changes
in estimated area, there was high spatial congruence between the 2019 and 2025 analyses. Scientific Council
agreed to a workplan for the 2027 reassessment of SAI and associated management options for NAFO bottom
fisheries (Table 1). The SC also noted that, due to changes in available resources after the 2025 WG-ESA
meeting, several of the secondary SAI indicators used in the 2021 SAI assessment cannot be updated for the
2027 assessment. However, the primary SAI indicators (proportion of VME protected, VME at risk and VME
impacted) will be recalculated using the newly updated VME and fishery effort data sets, and used in the 2027
assessment of SAI and management options. The 2021 assessment showed that considering secondary SAI
metrics did not change the overall outcome of the assessment from when it was conducted solely on the basis
of primary SAI metrics, but secondary metrics were useful to further consolidate the assessment results.

Table 1.
Timeline of key processes/events to deliver finalised set of management options as part of the
next reassessment of bottom fisheries.
Stage / Timing
Process / Event
Key Output / Results
Purpose / Outcome
By March 2027
(latest)
Intersessional
online
meeting of WG-ESA
Maps
and
tables
summarising results of all
analytical steps, including
draft management options
Present
and
review
scientific
outputs
and
supporting
evidence
for
improving VME closures
design to minimize the risk
of SAI
March/ April
2027
Participation of managers
in
WG-ESA/
WG-EAFFM
intersessional meeting
Direct
engagement
and
communication of scientific
rationale and methodology,
including early sharing of
draft management options
Early
involvement
of
managers to inform and
gather initial feedback on
draft management options
ahead of the SC meeting
where
the
management
options will be formalized
June 2027 (SC)
Scientific Council
Proposed
management
options
(e.g.
new
VME
closures and/or boundary
adjustments)
Scientific review of the SAI-
VME
assessment
and
management options, and
development of the formal
SC advice to COM on these
matters
July 2027
(WG-EAFFM)
Review by WG-EAFFM
Further
evaluation
and
potential
refinement
of
proposed
management
options
Potential agreement on a
finalised set of management
options to be recommended
to COM for adoption

4
Report of WG-EAFFM,
03–05 August 2026
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization

www.nafo.int
If required
(2027)
Additional intersessional
WG-EAFFM
Further discussion of
management options
Resolve outstanding issues
(if needed)
September
2027 Annual
Meeting
Submission to Commission
Final agreed management
options
Consideration for adoption
and implementation

The working group thanked the Scientific Council for the work and supported the updated VME polygons as
presented and encouraged the Scientific Council to continue the work as outlined in the workplan (Table 1).
WG-EAFFM underscored that this proposed timeline is contingent on WG-ESA being able to complete its work
at its November 2026 meeting and flagged that the Commission should be made aware that WG-ESA may not
be able to meet this timeline due to meeting logistic