Requirement that all fish that are caught in Norwegian waters, also by foreign vessels, must be landed

Discard is currently one of the most serious threats against sustainable management. This is in particular the case for those fish stocks we co-manage with the EU in the North Sea. We therefore want a further tightening of the rules governing discard of fish caught by foreign vessels in the Norwegian Exclusive Economic Zone, says Minister for Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Helga Pedersen.  
I want a requirement that all fish that are caught in Norwegian waters, also by foreign vessels, must be taken to port, regardless of which final port is used, says the Minister for Fisheries and Coastal Affairs.

We will introduce new requirements, for instance as a condition for obtaining licenses to fish, that vessels wishing to fish in Norwegian waters cannot discard valuable fish caught here. Moreover, in connection with the annual quota negotiations between EU and Norway this fall, we will demand further binding measures to reduce the discard of all joint stocks.

Recently a foreign vessel was observed while discarding large quantities of fish caught within Norwegian Exclusive Economic Zone. The fish was discarded once the vessel had left Norwegian waters and entered the EU-zone. On this occasion only, more than 5000 kilo of fish went to waste. 

Discard not only means a massive waste of food and potential income, it also leads to unrecorded catches, resulting in a poorer scientific basis for our management decisions

I know that many EU-fishermen are unhappy with the present situation, and genuinely regret that they are part of a regulatory regime that in some instances encourages discard of valuable resources. I therefore hope that authorities and industry work together to find better solutions, says Helga Pedersen.

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From the speech of Minister for Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Helga Pedersen on Nor-Fishing  international fisheries trade show 12.08.08

"Let me now revisit one of the most serious threats to sustainable management - namely discard of unwanted catch. As you know, we have a ban on discard in Norwegian waters, whereas the practice is legal in EU waters.

Recently a foreign vessel was sighted while discarding large amounts of fish caught within Norwegian jurisdiction. The fish was discarded once the vessels left Norwegian waters and entered the EU-zone. The incident was documented by the Norwegian Coast Guard. Only at that occasion more than 5000 kilo of cod went to waste.

Discard is a terrible practice. In addition to the moral aspects of this sheer waste of food, discards lead to unrecorded catches, which lead to incorrect fisheries statistics, which again disrupt the basis for scientific assessments of stocks and scientific advice on management.

The incident I just described is under the current legislation illegal in Norwegian waters, but not in EU-waters. Norway cannot impose its national legislation on foreign subjects in international waters. We can, however, state requirements for vessels to fish in waters under Norwegian jurisdiction. I have therefore decided to introduce requirements for licensing in our national legislation that require foreign vessels to take all fish caught in our waters to port, wherever that port may be. This will be a requirement for obtaining licenses for vessels to fish in Norwegian waters.

Moreover, during the annual fisheries negotiations this fall between EU and Norway, Norway will require binding measures to reduce discard on all jointly owned stocks."