Free fishing in Norwegian waters: – Fears Danish fishing boats:

In winter it might Dagbladet reveals that Danish fishermen have been fishing for halibut in Norwegian waters for several years in winter, although halibut is protected from December to April.

Although halibut fishing is prohibited in Norwegian waters in the winter, there are no regulations for skate fishing on the Norwegian part of the Skagerrak. In recent years, the EU has tightened the rules for this fishery in its waters. As it is freely accessible in Norwegian waters, this fishery has become attractive to trawlers. Danish trawlers in particular have shown great interest.

Skates are large fish that are distantly related to sharks. Only the so-called “wings” are suitable as food for humans.

The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (HI) now expresses concern that free fishing will end with the emptying of the Skagerrak of vulnerable fish species.

– Several skate species are on the Norwegian Red List, and others are very rare in the fjords and coastal areas – where they were previously found, Even Moland says. He is a researcher at HI.

– The Skagerrak is truly a miniature deep sea. These deep areas have so far been the least exposed to fishing and there are still good skate deposits. Precisely for this reason this area is interesting for trawlers, he explains to Dagbladet.

– What is the possibility that the ocean could be emptied by skaters?

– Skates that live in the deepest parts of Norskeenna – down to a depth of 700 meters – are safe for now. But trawling is happening deeper and deeper and there is no law or regulation preventing it in the Skagerrak.

– What do you think about the fact that skate fishing is free in Norway, but not in the EU?

– In the EU, they try to take into account the fact that almost half of all skates and sharks in European waters are considered endangered. The EU has therefore introduced a very low quota for by-catches of these species. Norway should take responsibility for ensuring that these vulnerable species have sufficiently large sanctuaries and robust populations in our waters, Moland says.

In the EU, quotas for skate fishing have been tightened. One problem is that a fishing boat can only carry 80 kilos of skate per trip. There is also a restriction of eight tons per year. This therefore applies in EU regulated areas: in Norwegian areas it is free.

– If you had to give our minister one piece of advice, what would it be?

– In this context, it may be worth recalling the objective that fisheries management moves in an ecosystem direction. The purpose of such management is to take care of all ecosystem functions at the same time as we take advantage of the opportunity to sustainably harvest from fish stocks that can withstand fishing over time.

– Few children

Moland’s colleague points out how vulnerable the title is:

– The biggest problem is the long generation time with few children who have skates. If the stock is fished out, it will take many decades of total conservation before it recovers, says Rupert Wienerroither, who also works at the Marine Research Institute.

– It is quite clear that there are consequences for the ecosystem if a superior predator disappears or becomes seriously smaller. We have seen, for example, that catfish fishing has led to a flourishing of sea urchins, which in turn has led to a reduction in kelp forests. Sustainable harvesting is a slogan that is used and heard often these days, especially when it comes to the marine environment, explains Wienerroither.

“Emptying” marine areas for skaters is the exact opposite of sustainability and should never be relevant. While skates may not be the target species for this fishery, overcatching of skates is a problem that can become serious over time and shouldn’t be ignored, she says.

Danish fishing boats

After EU quotas for skate fishing have been further reduced, we see Danish fishermen are landing large quantities of skate in Danish ports that have been fished in Norwegian waters.

However, the statistics are not readily available. In an email from the fisheries directorate, we learn that “there is no information on Danish skate landings in Norway in the period 2019-2021”.

It is still possible to get an idea of ​​the catch figures through the Danish fish auctions. Here it seems that up to June of this year 28 tons of “skate wings” had been caught. It is common to multiply the weight of the wings by 2.5 to get the total weight of the fish, which is 70 tons of skate. The Danes’ quota is eight tons, so it is reasonable to assume that the rest is caught in Norway.

Also there are skaters who are registered under “other species”.

– He’ll respect the rules

– There is a ban in the EU against fishing due to damage, precisely because the species is threatened, says Uffe Sveistrup. He is chief consultant at the Danish Fisheries Control Office.

– When Danish fishermen fish in Norwegian waters, they obviously have to comply with Norwegian rules. It is the Norwegian authorities that control, apply and otherwise determine the management measures for fisheries in Norwegian waters, Sveistrup points out.

– On the Danish side, we often dialogue with the Norwegian authorities on matters of common interest. We are obviously open to discussing magpie fishing if the Norwegian authorities wish, Sveistrup writes in an email to Dagbladet.

– Very serious

The fact that he is free to fish for red list skates in Norwegian waters makes Geir Jørgensen react to Rødt.

– We take unregistered trawling of an endangered species on the red list like the skate very seriously, he says. Jørgensen is spokesperson for fisheries policy in Rødt.

– Now Skjæran and Støre must finish their party speeches and immediately put an end to this environmental criminal activity. Fisheries authorities must seriously consider a total ban on trawling in the Skagerrak if it is not possible to bring the fishing activity on a sustainable path, says Jørgensen in Dagbladet.

Protection of the halibut: do not skate

Asked if the government plans to introduce better protection for endangered skates, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørn Skjæran replies as follows:

– As of today, we don’t have any conservation regulations for skateboarding like we have for halibut. But if the scientific opinion indicates that more rigorous skate management is needed, then that’s obviously something we’ll decide on.

Skjæran points out that following the Dagbladet revelations this winter, the government has now established a dialogue with the Danish fisheries authorities.

– There is a need to improve the management of halibut. I asked that Denmark, as an EU member, work towards a similar measure to protect halibut during the spawning period, as we did in Norway, says Skjæran.

Norway and Denmark also agreed to look into various other measures to protect halibut, including closed areas.

If so, it applies to halibut, not skate.