ARCTIC COUNCIL REVIEW OF OBSERVER ORGANIZATIONS Administrative Information Date: 1 August 2010 The Organization Full Name of Organization North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) Mailing Address Country Email Web address P.O. Box 6453, Sykehusveien 21-23 N-9294 Tromsø, Norway NORWAY nammco-sec@nammco.no www.nammco.no Business Phone +47 77687371 Contact Person for Review: Full Name Job Title Organization Mailing Address (if not same as above) Country Email Dr Christina Lockyer General Secretary NAMMCO Secretariat christina.lockyer@nammco.no Business Phone +47 77687372 Mobile Phone +47 99585451 Arctic Council Secretariat The Polar Environmental Centre 9296 Tromsø, Norway Phone:+47 777 50 140 Fax: +47 777 50 501 Mail: ac_chair@arctic-council.org
2 I. About the Organization Maximum of 2 pages Describe the mandate, scope and governing structure of the organization (include a copy of its annual report). Provide information on the organization s membership, and the total number of members. Provide evidence of the nonprofit or tax-exempt status of the organization. NAMMCO - the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission - is an international body for cooperation on the conservation, management and study of marine mammals in the North Atlantic. The Commission was established by the Agreement on Cooperation in Research, Conservation and Management of Marine Mammals in the North Atlantic, which was signed in Nuuk, Greenland on 9 April 1992 by Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The NAMMCO Agreement focuses on modern approaches to the study of the marine ecosystem as a whole, and to understanding better the role of marine mammals in this system. NAMMCO provides a mechanism for cooperation on conservation and management for all species of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and pinnipeds (seals and walruses) in the region, many of which have not before been covered by such an international agreement. The Governments of Denmark, Canada, the Russian Federation, and Japan participate regularly as observers in meetings of NAMMCO. As an intergovernmental organisation, NAMMCO has also established reciprocal arrangements for the exchange of observers with a number of other intergovernmental organisations, including the Arctic Council, ICES, FAO, IWC, ASCOBANS, CITES, IUCN, NAFO, NEAFC, NASCO, OSPAR, as well as with the Inuit Circumpolar Council. The general decision-making body of the Commission is the Council which is supported and served by a permanent Secretariat, based in Tromsø, Norway, which is financed by annual contributions from member governments. Management Committees make proposals for conservation and management and recommendations for scientific research with respect to stocks of marine mammals within their mandate. Currently there are two Management Committees, the Management Committee for Seals and Walruses, and the Management Committee for Cetaceans. Scientific advice on marine mammal stocks is provided to the Management Committees by the Scientific Committee. There is also a Committee on Finance and Administration. There is a Committee on Hunting Methods and also a Committee on Inspection and Observation that regulates and monitors the joint control scheme in hunting. A number of working groups both standing and Ad Hoc have been established under various committees to deal with specific tasks. Rules of Procedure apply to all Committees. NAMMCO invites external experts to technical meetings, where possible and necessary, to assist in generating the best possible advice on which to base the work of the Commission. An Annual Report 2009 covering the events in the year 2008-2009 is submitted as an electronic file. The Host Agreement with Norway is also similarly submitted as evidence of tax-exemption.
3 II. Relevant Activities Maximum of 2 pages Describe the relevance of the organizations activities to the Arctic Council. Provide any other information that supports the competence of the organization in matters related to the Arctic Council. Include specific relationships with Arctic Council member states, Permanent Participants, Observers, and Working Groups, as well as other relevant international bodies. NAMMCO has regular contact and interchange with member states of the Arctic Council since there is an obvious overlap in membership. In addition to the fact that all four NAMMCO member governments are active participants in the Arctic Council, Canada, the Russian Federation and Denmark also participate as observers to NAMMCO. There are three areas which are common for the two organisations: environmental and conservation issues and sustainable utilisation. NAMMCO has been actively involved in the work of the Arctic Council on two occasions: as a contributing author to chapter 17 of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) Report and as a member of the Arctic Human Development Report Steering Committee during the years 2002 2004. Environmental Issues The necessity of maintaining the quality of the marine environment is an important factor in NAMMCO s approach to conservation and management of marine mammals. Whales and seals are at the highest level of the food chain in the marine ecosystem, and are therefore especially vulnerable to the possible long-term effects of pollutants. NAMMCO s International Conference on Marine Mammals and the Marine Environment (Shetland, April 1995) addressed questions related to the sources, levels and effects of contaminants on marine mammals and their environment. The Conference also focused on recent medical research conducted in northern communities where marine mammals are a significant part of the diet. NAMMCO s internationally based scientific assessments of marine mammal stocks and species in the Arctic aim to take account of environmental factors, such as contaminants and other human effects, and these assessments can benefit the Arctic Council through the monitoring and assessment work of AMAP. Cooperation on marine mammal conservation and management through NAMMCO also emphasises the importance of traditional knowledge in monitoring the ecosystem. A conference held in 2003, Reykjavik, Iceland, resulted in the publication User Knowledge and Scientific Knowledge in Management Decision-Making. Conservation Issues NAMMCO brings together a broad range of scientific expertise on marine mammals in the North Atlantic. The work of the Scientific Committee has resulted in a number of comprehensive reports on stocks and species that have not before been subject to similar international assessment, including Atlantic walrus, ringed, harp, hooded, common and grey seals, pilot whales, bottlenose whales, beluga, narwhal and harbour porpoises. This work has benefited greatly from the active participation of scientific experts from, for example, Canada, the Russian Federation and the USA. This work is of great potential importance to CAFF because CAFF was established as a distinct forum for the exchange of data and information on issues such as shared species and habitats and to collaborate as appropriate for a more effective research, sustainable utilization and conservation.
4 Since 1998, when NAMMCO published its first volume in a series of scientific publications, Ringed Seals in the North Atlantic, edited by M.P. Heide Jørgensen and C. Lydersen, there have been 6 additional publications. The series is a collection of authoritative peer-reviewed papers presented to the NAMMCO Scientific Committee working groups. Other publications in the series include Vol. 2: Minke Whales, Harp and Hooded Seals: Major Predators in the North Atlantic Ecosystem; Vol. 3: Sealworms in the North Atlantic: Ecology and Population Dynamics; Vol. 4: Belugas in the North Atlantic and the Russian Arctic; Vol. 5: Harbour porpoises in the North Atlantic; Vol. 6: Grey Seals in the North Atlantic; Vol. 7: North Atlantic sightings Surveys; and the forthcoming Vol. 8: Harbour seals in the North Atlantic. A future planned volume addresses the Walrus. Sustainable utilisation NAMMCO and the Arctic Council through their Working Group on Sustainable Development, also share the common goal of promoting cooperation and coordination on issues related to sustainable development and sustainable utilisation. Marine mammals are important resources for the peoples of the Arctic, and will continue to be a significant element in future discussions on environment and development in the Arctic. Close collaboration between NAMMCO and the Arctic Council can provide opportunities to explore these issues in greater depth through joint projects and events. Examples are the successful NAMMCO International Conference and Exhibition Sealing the Future held in Newfoundland, Canada in 1997, in cooperation with, among others, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference and the Nordic Council of Ministers. This forum brought together over 200 people from sealing communities around the world, including Alaska, Canada, and the Russian Federation, as well as from NAMMCO member countries. A recent example is the International Conference on Seals and Society - how to manage resources and interactions in the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic, held in Vaasa, Finland in 2007. This was collaboratively organised by the Nordic Council of Ministers, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Finland), Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute (Finland), Swedish Board of Fisheries (Sweden), Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs (Norway), North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO), Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Kvarken Council (Finland). These fora have provided excellent opportunities for exchanging information and discussing sustainable development as it relates to the utilization of seals throughout the Arctic and elsewhere, and the prospects and possibilities for maintaining and enhancing this utilization in the future.
5 III. Statement of Interest Maximum of 2 pages Describe the organization s specific interests in remaining an Observer to the Arctic Council. Describe the organizations ability to contribute expertise or financing to the work of the Arctic Council and how the organization is working with the Permanent Participants. NAMMCO s application for Observer status in the Arctic Council began with a proposal from NAMMCO for a reciprocal exchange of observers with the new Arctic Council on the occasion of the signing of the Ottawa Declaration in 1996. NAMMCO has expressed its desire both to contribute to, and benefit from, the work of the Arctic Council and the programmes and projects under the auspices of the Council. The exchange of observers is an effective way of ensuring flow of information and sharing of ideas, and also assists organizations in avoiding overlap and increases the coordination of similar activities. NAMMCO has similar reciprocal observer arrangements with a number of other international organisations, as listed above. NAMMCO is especially interested in following developments in the Arctic related to resource management and sustainable development. As noted above, the AC working groups that are of most relevance to NAMMCO are AMAP and CAFF, as well as the Working Group on Sustainable Development. Maintaining formal observer relations between NAMMCO and the Arctic Council will foster good cooperative relations between the two organisations. NAMMCO s expertise on marine mammal resources both scientifically and from a management viewpoint will continue to be a valuable source of reliable and factual information of benefit to the on-going work of the Arctic Council and its Working Groups. Name: Christina Lockyer General Secretary of NAMMCO Title: Dr Signature: Date: 28 July 2010 Internal use: Date received: Conclusion of Arctic Council consideration: Date distributed to Member States: Date of Arctic Council consideration:
Please return the form by mail to: 6 Arctic Council Secretariat Polar Environment Center 9296 Tromsø, Norway Or by email to: ac_chair@arctic-council.org Phone: +47 77 75 01 43 Fax: +47 77 75 05 01