**Informal Fisheries Consultations Between the Government of**

**the United States of America and the Government of Canada**

# Basic Instrument

None

**[Authorities]{.underline}**

Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1822(a),
which authorizes the Secretary of State to negotiate international
fisheries agreements, and 16 U.S.C. 1855(d), which authorizes the
Secretary of Commerce to promulgate regulations necessary to carry out
the Magnuson Act.

**[Member Nations]{.underline}**

United States and Canada.

**[Meetings]{.underline}**

Parties meet annually, alternating meetings between the United States
and Canada. This meeting generally takes place in late July or early
August.

**[Description]{.underline}**

The Parties have agreed that informal consultations on bilateral,
multilateral and global fisheries conservation and management issues are
of benefit to both Parties. These consultations are designed to provide
broad coordination on issues of concern as opposed to negotiation of
final agreements. Discussions on bilateral issues generally focus on
improving communication and coordination with regard to conservation and
management of shared stocks (such as Pacific albacore, Pacific hake, and
species of mutual concern in the Gulf of Maine). In many cases, separate
negotiations are underway on these species, and this meeting allows
officials on both sides to discuss avenues for future progress.

Additionally, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) takes
up a portion of the agenda for the consultations. As NAFO Contracting
Parties, the United States and Canada share many of the same concerns
and goals for this Organization. Thus, time is spent during the
consultations on strategies for improving conservation and management in
NAFO. Discussions in this regard focus primarily on progress made during
the intersessional period and goals for the NAFO annual meeting, which
occurs annually in September. Other multilateral organizations of
interest to the United States and Canada (such as the Western and
Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), and the APEC Fisheries
Working Group) are also discussed.

Global fisheries issues of interest to the United States and Canada
include various international fisheries management agreements and
initiatives (such as the FAO International Plans of Action for Seabirds,
Sharks, Capacity and IUU Fishing and the UN Fish Stocks Agreement). The
consultations are used to trade information on the status of
implementation of these instruments, as well as to discuss ways to
encourage their implementation by other countries. In addition, Parties
discuss species of mutual concern at the global level, such as sea
turtles.

**[Recent Activities]{.underline}**

The most recent Informal Fisheries Consultations Between the United
States and Canada were on July 29, 2005, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Meeting topics focused on: improving international fisheries governance;
enhancing bilateral cooperation; and issues of mutual interest the
future of a number of regional fisheries organizations and other
multilateral bodies.

**[Upcoming Meeting:]{.underline}**

The next informal consultation will take place in Silver Spring,
Maryland, during summer 2006.

**[Staff Contacts]{.underline}**

NOAA Fisheries:

Patrick E. Moran

Office of International Affairs (F/IA2)

National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA

1315 East-West Highway

Silver Spring, MD 20910

Telephone: (301) 713-2276

Fax: (301) 713-2313

E-mail: pat.moran@noaa.gov

Department of State:

Deirdre Warner-Kramer

Office of Marine Conservation (OES/OMC)

Department of State

2201 C Street, NW, Room 5806

Washington, D.C. 20520-7818

Telephone: (202) 647-2883

Fax: (202) 736-7350

E-mail: Warner-KramerDM@state.gov