NASCO is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, and was formed in response to the failure of independent states to effectively protect a global common such as the salmon population.

NASCO has since established various regulations and guidelines to manage salmon fisheries, including restricting fishing to within 12 nautical miles of the coast with exceptions in Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Current participants (since 1984): Denmark (in respect of the Faroe Islands and Greenland) After withdrawing from NASCO in 2009, Iceland rejoined the fight to restore North Atlantic salmon in March 2023.

[10] NASCO's Council has adopted a Ten-Year Plan to address the threat to Atlantic salmon and to restore what was once a healthy, thriving population.

NASCO's has set a goal to focus on and promote efforts aimed at protecting, conserving, and restoring wild Atlantic salmon across the species' range.

In order to achieve this ten-year goal, they have outlined the following five objectives: A panel of four (4) distinguished men produced a Call-To-Action plan based on their expertise in NASCO affairs.