"This was a real cold shower. It's going to be a challenging time for the industry going forward, not just for us fishermen", says manager of the Norwegian Fishermen's Association Kåre Heggebø, after the quota recommendations for 2025 were put forward on Friday.
On Friday 21 June, the quota advice for north-east arctic cod (skrei), haddock, blue halibut and proboscis was presented at Kystens hus in Tromsø.
Especially on cod, but also on haddock, there are many tens of percent reductions in the quota councils.
On cod, the lowest advice for more than 20 years is being put forward. It is recommended to reduce the quota by 31 percent, from a total quota of just over 450,000 tonnes in 2024 to well over 311,000 tonnes in 2025.
On haddock, there is an almost equally large percentage reduction, of 24 percent.
Serious for the entire value chain
The leader of the Fishermen's Association says the council will cause a challenge for the entire seafood industry.
"Both for us who harvest the fish, but equally for the fishing industry, the entire value chain and the communities along the coast, this will mean a great deal. With such a sharp decline, this puts the fishing industry in a very difficult situation",says Heggebø.
"At the same time, we will take the time to sit down and do a thorough review and analysis of the quota councils in the organization,"he says.
"In addition to the council's quota for cod falling, there is also a decline for both haddock and blue halibut. This means that the overall operating basis in the cod fisheries in the north will probably weaken significantly. When it comes to halibut, we register that there is a large discrepancy between the fishermen's observations on the sea and the advice of marine scientists. It is something we have to follow up further",says Kåre Heggebø.
The quota advice from the marine scientists is the starting point for the negotiations on the final quotas, which take place through the Norwegian-Russian Joint Fisheries Commission in the autumn.
The quota advice therefore represents the researchers' advice.
The quota council for North-East Arctic pollock for 2025, which Norway manages alone, is already ready and is 193,117 tonnes. There, the recommendation is a decrease of thirteen percent from the council for 2024.
"The prospects for cod have been poor for several years, and we have been prepared for that for a couple more years - but also that it was likely to flatten out. What is coming now is dramatic. However, we have experienced this before, and we will manage it again, but it will be a few tough years," says Kåre Heggebø.
The total quotas for the joint stocks in the Barents Sea will not be determined until the autumn, when the joint Norwegian-Russian fisheries commission meets for negotiations.
The national regulation for 2025 will then be dealt with, among other things in the autumn's regulatory meeting.
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