Norway is following the advice of the International Council for the Exploitation of the Sea (ICES). The ICES has described recruitment as critically low and advises that effective measures should be initiated to reduce exploitation as much as possible and as quickly as possible. According to the ICES, the size of the stock has decreased dramatically since the mid 1980s and there are no signs of recovery.
The new regulations will apply from 1 July 2009 for an indefinite period.
The decision of the Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs means that:
A total prohibition is introduced on leisure fishing for own consumption and for sale by anyone who is not a registered commercial fisherman.
A total quota of 50 tonnes of eel is introduced for registered commercial fishermen in 2009, with fishing to be stopped once this quota has been reached.
From and including 2010, the ban on fishing eel will also apply to commercial fishermen.
In order to ensure the availability of data material and monitoring of the stock, a scheme will be introduced from 1 January 2010 for a limited fishery for monitoring purposes. The Directorate of Fisheries will establish specific criteria for this fishery.
An extended system of reporting will be introduced for those who take part in the monitoring fishery from and including 2010, with specific rules determined by the Directorate of Fisheries and the Institute of Marine Research.
In view of the substantial decline of the eel stock, work has been going on systematically over the last year to obtain the best possible foundation of information on which to base future management. In the course of this work, all available information about the stock and catches in Norway has been investigated. The report has been made available for the industry to provide input regarding the various measures outlined.
A total quota of 50 tonnes for 2009 means a reduction in exploitation of over 80 per cent compared with the average for the years 2004 to 2006. This represents a considerably greater reduction than the EU requirements for the conservation and management plans that have been prepared by the member countries. The ministry will work towards securing sustainable management of the European eel internationally.
Fishing for the purposes of monitoring from 2010 onward will ensure that data can be collected in an efficient manner, so as to be able to keep a continuous eye on stocks. Such a scheme will also contribute to maintain a fishing tradition to the extent possible within the biological limitations of the stock.