We stand now at the end of “the most beautiful adventure of the year” – the winter fishing for skrei, and it may be appropriate to summarize how this has progressed. What happens to the amount of fish, value and participation? We will also shed light on the future prospects for the fishing industry and coastal communities.
As usual fishermen from all over the country flocked to the three northernmost counties to take part in the winter fishing for skrei. Skreien is the fish that “slides” from the Barents Sea to the coast of Norway every winter and contributes to activity, income and delicious meals. So also this year – but to a lesser extent than we have been used to in recent years. The fishing industry is thus in the middle of a change of direction after ten very good years in the cod fisheries.
We met this year with falling quotas for several important fish species such as cod, haddock and halibut. In Finnmark, activity and the economy are also affected by a significantly reduced quota for king crab. The start of the year thus brought with it signals of increased challenges for the entire fishing industry.
By the exit of April, a total of 101,000 tonnes of fresh cod have been landed in Norway’s Råfislag district, which runs from Nordmøre to Finnmark. This is 38,000 tonnes less than last year, and it is the lowest winter quota for the flounder fishery since 2000. The reason is that the boats’ cod quotas are 27 per cent lower than last year. This affects the activity in the fishing fleet, the fishing industry and the coastal communities.
The average price to fishermen for gutted and decapitated fresh cod has increased from NOK 46.53 in 2023 to NOK 53.81 in 2024, and the total value ended at NOK 3.6 billion. As a result of the reduced quantity, the total value is 16 per cent lower than last year despite a price increase of 16 per cent.
In addition the fishing fleet landed 33,000 tonnes of frozen cod, which is 7,000 tonnes less than last year. The value of the frozen cod is NOK 1.3 billion, which is NOK 120 million less than last year.
A distinctive feature with this year’s fishing season is that the fleet has received significantly better pay for large cod over 4 kilos. For the fresh deliveries, the price premium for the large cod is approximately NOK 7. Frozen sea cod fished with autoline achieved prices of up to NOK 95 for fish over 8 kilos sold at the Råfisklaget’s auctions. This top price was twice as high as for small cod sold the same week for NOK 45.
Total has 3,046 fishing boats delivered cod this winter against 3,006 boats in 2023. The fish is bought by approximately 160 small and large fishing industry companies throughout the Råfisklaget’s district. In other words, there are still many hands that are active in many places to manage Norway’s most important wild fish stock.
The later years winter fishing has taken on a more northern feel. This has resulted in an increase in landings in Western Finnmark at the expense of landings in Lofoten. This year too, Vest-Finnmark is the largest cod region with landings of almost 32,000 tonnes of fresh cod. However, cod landings in Lofoten are at a historically low level. With 19,000 tonnes of cod, the landings in Lofoten are a full 36 per cent lower than last year.
The decline in Eastern Finnmark is even greater: With just over 10,000 tonnes this year, we are registering a reduction of a whopping 41 per cent compared to last year. There is no doubt that the reduced cod stock affects activity in these regions.
Because of the low quotas for cod, the fleet has prioritized increasing fishing for other types of fish. For example, this winter the coastal fleet fished 5,000 tonnes more haddock than last year. The same is the case with the ocean-going fleet, which has taken more than 5,000 tonnes more haddock.
For the rest of the year, we have 34,400 tonnes less cod (-34%) to be fished and produced and 11,120 tonnes less haddock (-25%). The bright spot is the salmon, where we have had a quota increase, and where there is approximately 2,000 tonnes more quota left for the rest of the year compared to last year. There is little doubt that the herring will be a key stock to ensure the greatest possible activity in the future.
The main challenge for the fishing fleet now, is to find fisheries that are not affected by the reduced quotas on cod and haddock or the strict regulations on other key stocks. Last year, regulations were introduced in fishing for ling and tusk, and from before we have very strict regulations in fishing for redfish. There is little doubt that these strict regulations will affect the level of activity in the fleet and thereby in the fishing industry in the future.
The strict ones the regulation of fish stocks comes as a result of fishing more than what the researchers have recommended. It is then crucial that the research secures the best possible knowledge base about these fish stocks. At the same time, the fisheries authorities face difficult trade-offs between consideration of the fish stocks and consideration of the activity in the coastal communities.
It is unlikely doubt that these topics will be the subject of many demanding discussions in the fishing industry in the future.
