Wants the quota notification to be postponed and promises actions – NRK Troms and Finnmark

The government presented the new quota notice in January. This winter there have been hearings in the Storting. In addition, fisheries organisations, action groups and coastal municipalities have presented their views. A week and a half ago, the business committee agreed on a shared recommendation. The ruling Labor Party and the Center Party reached a compromise with the Progress Party, Høgre, Christian People’s Party and Liberal Party.

The main difference in the committee was between the left’s desire to give more fish to the smallest vessels and the right’s demand for a stable distribution of resources for the entire fishing fleet.

Joker from the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association

The so-called third country quota (see fact box) was the joker that made the compromise cabal go up.

Every year, a random number of these quotas are left standing. In Norway, returned quotas have generally been distributed between large and small vessels.

The majority in the Storting has settled on a model where ocean-going vessels will henceforth be at the front of the queue when returned quotas are distributed.

It was the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association that came up with the suggestion to use the third country quotas as a key to unlocking the deadlocked situation at the parliament.

Fiskeribladet has documented (requires login) that then Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Cecilie Myrseth and Secretary General Sverre Johansen of the Fiskarlaget exchanged text messages about the proposal.

Without warning

This solution came as a surprise to the rest of the industry, which has led to internal unrest in the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association – and a mood of rebellion in Finnmark, among other things.

– It was a shock – and came at the 13th hour, says fisherman and fish buyer Svein Vegar Lyder from Dyfjord on the Nordkinn Peninsula.

– There was no warning. As a result, it was not possible to participate in the discussion.

Therefore, he and his fishing colleagues in Finnmark want the processing of the quota notification to be postponed, at least the point about the third country quotas.

– This is a decision that has been taken in the chamber, says Lyder.

Significant amount

The returns of the third country quotas have varied from 1,000 to 33,000 tonnes of cod per year during the last 15 years. There are therefore significant quantities of fish.

By way of comparison, the smallest sharks, those belonging to the so-called open group, would have received well over 1,060 tonnes of cod this year if the allocation from the quota announcement had come into force on 1 January this year.

Blocks ports – will wake up foreign mediums

Now they will block several ports in the county. Hammerfest, Honningsvåg and Vardø are on that list. It happens on the same day that Fisheries Minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss visits Vardø.

– We are forced to get foreign media on the pitch. Blocking Melkøya would be a very good way to do that. Then foreign media will come into place, and you will be able to show the world that in Norway the politicians do not follow democratic processes. You can actually just sit and send a few messages, and then individual actors can get politicians involved in horse trading. That must stop. A western country like Norway cannot be familiar with that, says Lyder.

Returned third country quotas, 2009-2024. The large reversal in 2021 is due to Norway and Great Britain not agreeing on quota agreements after Brexit.

Not applicable

Willfred Nordlund from the Center Party is leader of the industry committee at the Storting.

He says that it is not appropriate to postpone the processing of the quota notification.

Nordlund rejects that this is something the Storting majority has settled in the chamber with the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association.

– This is a deal that has been achieved in the Storting, and has 144 Storting representatives behind it. Overall, the smallest fleet is strengthened. And then there is now a big discussion about a small amount (reintroduced third country quotas, journ.anm:). A quantity that says that one should perhaps prioritize the sea fleet when we are still left with a surplus. This means that you may get something more back to the sea over time.

Nordlund adds that there is no question of giving all returned third country quota to the sea fishing fleet.