The ecoregion ranges from north of Shetland to Brittany in the
south. Three key areas constitute this ecoregion:
- the Malin shelf
- the Celtic Sea and west of Ireland
- the Irish Sea
The Celtic Seas ecoregion includes all or parts of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of three EU Member States.
Fisheries in
the Celtic Seas are managed through the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), with fisheries of some stocks managed by the
North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) and by coastal state agreements. Responsibility for salmon fisheries is taken
by the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) and for large pelagic fish by the International Commission
for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Collective fisheries advice is provided by the International Council for the
Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the European Commission’s Scientific Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF),
and the North Western Waters and Pelagic ACs.
Environmental policy is managed by national governments and agencies and
by OSPAR; advice is provided by national agencies, OSPAR, the European Environment Agency (EEA), and ICES.
International
shipping is managed under the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
