Winning the war on illegal fishing in the Barents Sea

For the fourth year running, no illegal overfishing of cod and haddock has been detected in the Barents Sea.

"Combating illegal fishing is vital to ensure sustainable fish stocks and the profitability of the fishing industry," says Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Lisbeth Berg-Hansen. 

The analysis was conducted by the Joint Norwegian–Russian Fisheries Commission, based on satellite tracking data and information on the total catches of cod and haddock in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea for 2012.

"The war on illegal fishing has played a key role in restoring the fish stocks in the Barents Sea to their current, excellent level. This would not have been possible without our two nations' close collaboration on management and resource control. These pleasing results confirm the importance of the work we have done in this area in recent years," says Berg-Hansen. 

The North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC)'s rules on port state control have been a major factor in the success in this area. 

For Norway, the EU is also an important partner in the efforts to combat illegal fishing. Elements such as port state control, catch certificates, direct bilateral collaboration and increased exchange of information have been of huge significance.

Report from the Analysis Group for 2012 (In Norwegian) (PDF)

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