Overfishing of cod in the Barents Sea reduced by 84%

28.05.2009 //

Once again, overfishing of cod in the Barents Sea has been substantially reduced in 2008. This means that unreported fishing has been reduced by as much as 84% from 2005 to 2008 and that resources to the value of 1.1 billion kroner are now benefiting the coastal communities.

The number of signed international agreements related to fisheries management is steadily increasing

Norway is signing new fisheries agreements with other states on a continuous basis. The agreements are important contributions to the fisheries management in many ways, as for instance towards the termination of illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries (IUU).

Ban on discarding fish

16.03.2009 //

The ban on discarding fish that are dead or dying was introduced in Norwegian fisheries legislation in 2007 the European Council of Ministers agreed to restructure their management policy by gradually working to reduce discards also in the EU fisheries. The ban on discarding fish that are dead or dying was introduced in Norwegian fisheries legislation in 1988.

Sustainable harvesting of marine life

08.03.2010 //

Resource control is directed at the entire chain, from the point in time when the fish is caught in the sea, through its storage and sale and to its export abroad. The paramount goal of marine resource management is to facilitate a sound fisheries policy founded on long-term thinking, profitability and sustainable harvesting of marine life.

The responsibility of foreign vessels in Norwegian waters

05.03.2009 //

Foreign vessels wanting to fish in areas subject to Norwegian fisheries jurisdiction must have a licence and are obliged to report their catches to The Directorate of Fisheries.

International agreement to intensify the work against IUU fishing

20.05.2009 //

IUU fishing has been identified as a major threat to fisheries conservation and marine biodiversity. It can lead to a collapse of a fishery, which in turn may cause adverse consequences for the livelihood of people depending on it.

IUU fishing – future challenges in our waters

16.03.2009 //

The Directorate of Fisheries faces two major but quite different challenges in respect of catches of species that are not recorded in the catch statistics. One concerns landings of catches that are not reported (”black landings”), and the other is fish that are caught at the fishing grounds but not landed. Both are unacceptable as they entail that mortalities are not registered as removal of fi...

The management of Red King crab in Norwegian waters

05.03.2009 //

Fishermen facing by-catch problems caused by the king crab in the coastal gillnet- and longline fishery for cod and lumpfish, are those qualifying for licenses to fish king crabs in Norwegian waters. Detailed qualifying criteria for licenses are established to secure participation from those fishermen that experience major problems with by-catches of crabs in connection with other fisheries.

Extent and consequences of IUU fishing

It is complicated to make a reliable estimate of the extent of IUU fisheries. Inevitably, it can be argued that IUU fishing is an obstacle to the efficient management of the living resources in the sea. IUU fishing poses a threat to the efforts of achieving maximum sustainability of our resources. During the past two decades, extensive attempts have been made to combat IUU fisheries.

The Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs