Leading Journal of the Irish & UK Fishing Industries

We refer to the article in The Skipper https://theskipper.ie/call-to-ban-norwegian-vessels-from-irish-waters/  where Aodh O’Donnell, chief executive of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation, calls for a ban on Norwegian vessels fishing in Irish waters, claiming that “Norway’s overfishing practices are the main cause of a scientifically recommended mackerel quota cut of 22% next year”. This is an unfair and incorrect statement. Norway is fishing a mackerel share comparable to what we used before 2008, when Iceland increased their fisheries. Additionally, Russia has increased their fisheries in international waters, as have Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Norway increased its share in 2021, based on what we believe is rightfully ours according to three criteria: 1) the amount of mackerel in Norwegian waters (zone affiliation), 2) contributions to the science and monitoring of the stock, and 3) historical fishing. Norway and the EU had agreements on mackerel from 2010-2020, where Norway accepted a lower share in exchange for full access to fish mackerel in EU (UK) waters. After Brexit, Norway lost access to UK waters in 2021, so we returned to the share we believe is correct based on the criteria above.

Fiskebåt (The Norwegian Fishing Vessel Owners Association) and Norway believe that all nations should take responsibility for joint agreements on fish quotas, which is why Norway has reached out to the EU, UK, and other nations. For 2023, the UK and Norway reached an agreement on mackerel. For 2024-2026, Norway, UK, and the Faroe Islands have an agreement open for other coastal states to join. Both auagreements have contributed to reducing overfishing. We agree that every European country has a responsibility to fish sustainably to protect fish stocks. However, we do not agree with the claims that certain countries have. We expect the EU to also contribute to reduced overfishing and an agreement that includes all coastal states. In relation to the current distribution criteria, the EU has a high share of the mackerel quota. The mackerel stock now has a more northeastern distribution than earlier.

We sympathize with Irish fishermen after a poor Brexit deal, but it is not fair to send the bill to Norway. Norway has not changed our share of blue whiting, and a large part of the quantity we fish in Irish waters is from the EU-Norway bilateral agreement on quota trades. Thus, it does not make sense to restrict this access.

We welcome the EU and other coastal states to join our mackerel agreement to ensure sustainable fisheries, as well as agreements on other common stocks.

 

Audun Maråk

CEO, Fiskebåt (The Norwegian Fishing Vessel Owners Association)

Gjert E. Dingsør

Fisheries Scientist, Fiskebåt