By the Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Helga Pedersen

European Parliament 20 June 2006

Dear Mr Chairman, distinguished members of the Fisheries Committee, representatives of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen

It is an honour to be here in the European Parliament today, and I am truly grateful to be invited to the parliament. Norway regards the European Union as its main partner in improving resource control in the fisheries. I thus find this hearing most timely. Illegal unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is one of the most serious problems facing the management of marine fish stocks at present. It affects all fishermen in Europe, and indeed the entire European fish market. The challenge is global in scope: developing countries in particular are victims of illegally caught fish that takes jobs away from coastal regions and undermines viable markets and state revenue.

My agenda today goes beyond informing you of the problems in our waters. It is rather to shed light on IUU activities through the example of North east Arctic cod, of which Norway has extensive knowledge. The European Union and its member states are indispensable partners to us in our efforts to stop illegal fishing. We are truly grateful for the progress we have made during the last years, to a large degree a result of our ever closer cooperation with the European commission. Just two weeks ago at the North Atlantic Fisheries Minister Conference in Norway IUU fishing and what actions that should be taken to combat this activity was discussed. Here the EU-commissioner, Joe Borg, had a very active role in developing a joint communiqué – which we have distributed here – and I am very happy that Mr. Borg and the EU-commission so forceful wants to address and fight IUU-fishing together with us.

Likewise I would like to mention the very fruitful cooperation our control bodies have on bilateral basis in order to implement the measures agreed upon, and I will especially mention the recent arrangement in this respect that I signed with my Portuguese colleague in February.

I will share with you today information on the threat to the cod stock in the Barents Sea, and how Norway evaluates measures against IUU activity. It is our sincere hope that this presentation will give you a picture of how serious the challenge from IUU fishing is, and that we as European states must take the lead in the multilateral and bilateral efforts to curb IUU fishing.

It is a regrettable fact that IUU fishing is a global problem.

IUU fishing activity generates harmful effects on the economic and social welfare for those involved in legal fishing. It consequently threatens the sustainability of marine regions dependent on marine resources for employment. IUU activities result in lower income and lower employment for those who obey by the rules. The United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization reports that overall, IUU fishing accounts for up to 30 per cent of total catches in some important fisheries. This hurts developing countries to a considerable degree. Sub-Saharan African countries, for example, lose huge amounts of revenue due to IUU fishing. By flooding markets with illegally caught fish, prices become lower, thus hurting law-abiding fishermen and sellers of legal fish. Once fish stocks are nearly depleted, restoring them is a difficult task. The FAO naturally does what it can for the African countries in this respect. On May 16 ^th> this year, a new partnership aimed at restoring depleted fisheries and reducing poverty in Africa was launched. The cost is estimated at some 300 million dollars over the next 10 years.

Perhaps worst of all, IUU fishing threatens entire marine ecosystems.

Once a fish stock is totally depleted, there is no other alternative than to stop all fishing of it, and basically to wait and see if the stock will start to slowly grow again. We must avoid overexploitation of more fish stocks. This is our obligation as politicians today. We must act now, before it is too late to regulate what has been dubbed the “tragedy of the commons”! This calls for cooperation between our countries.

The Barents Sea been a source of fish and income for vulnerable coastal communities in the north for several millennia. In these barren regions, peoples found a viable co-existence with their environment, which made fisheries sustainable for generation after generation. Now, however, IUU fishing has become a threat to an entire region, and for all European fishermen who have found income in this region. This affects one of the most valuable fish stocks in the world, The North-East Arctic Cod.

Estimates from the Barents Sea indicate that last year around 137 000 tonnes of cod are subject to IUU fishing, corresponding to approximately 30% of the total allowable catch for this stock. Just two weeks ago, the ICES advised that the 2007 cod quota should be reduced to 309 000 tonnes. Although the exact figures have not been worked out yet, it is clear that this will mean that all states with cod quotas in the Barents Sea will get reduced quotas for the next year.

The Norwegian Government is doing its outmost to deal with this problem, but without improved flag state responsibility and port state control, efforts will be futile.

In this, we are not alone. In the Irminger Sea, the stock of redfish is fished far beyond sustainable levels. This is a result, to a large degree, of outrageous IUU fishing in international waters. One single country cannot regulate a migrating fish stock without extensive cooperation with the flag states.

What, then, should and could we do to curb IUU fishing? Based on our experience in the Barents Sea, allow me to sketch some of what we reckon as the most important measures. We believe that in order to stop illegal fishing and –transhipment at sea, the key is international cooperation on Port state control and flag state responsibility. Therefore we must work together to:

• Implement FAO guidelines for Port State Control and flag state responsibility in regional fisheries organizations like NEAFC. All contracting parties must cooperate to achieve this through the development of a legally binding regime on Port State Control. In this regard, the recent recommendation from the UNFSA Review Conference should be taken seriously by all coastal states;
• Increase transparency so that data on fish catches, landings and distribution is available for all states. We must abandon all national obstacles that stop the flow of information about fish catches, landings and distribution;
• Deny IUU fish landing, transportation and sale!

In short, we must create a NORM: that IUU fishing is wrong, that IUU landings of fish should never take place in any of our countries, that no European supermarket should sell illegal fish – and in the end: the consumer should be reassured that she or he does not purchase illegal fish.

We do not believe this is a utopian ideal. It can be achieved by -

• Transparent information that follows the landings in the form of certificates;
• Electronic reporting and monitoring that can stop deliberate attempts to cheat on regulations and quotas;
• Denial of all landings of any flag state that does not fully cooperate in the international regime, and of any vessel where the flag state cannot guarantee that the catch is within established quotas.

Naturally, there will be ways for companies involved in IUU to cheat on any new measures. The illustration you now see on the screen is a photograph taken by one of our inspectors, and it shows how the crew on a foreign vessel systematically, and openly, falsifies the documents of a landing of fish. In the future, such crimes must be stopped. Again, the key to stop illegal fishing, -transhipment and falsification of documents at sea lies in increased port state control and flag state responsibility.

Norway takes the responsibility of sustainable development in the fisheries sector very seriously. Our ability to manage the marine resources affects Europe at large. But the other side of the coin is that we are powerless to manage these important resources without close cooperation with the EU and its member states. To include Russia in these joint efforts is crucial to us all. Here, and in numerous other aspects of this big question, the European Union is a vital partner. Let me again stress that we sincerely appreciate the progress we have made together with the European Union over the last years, and we truly believe that this is the right moment for an even higher level and scope of cooperation.

WE believe that all European coastal states possess much important information on fisheries and resource control. However, the challenge is to share this information through common databases where the information is made available. Norway’s policy now is to share as much information as possible on own fishery activity and of all activity where we execute jurisdiction. If we combine our systems of information collecting and create a common database, we will be much better equipped to deal with IUU fishing and save the marine resources. In this respect, Norway is eager to offer its full cooperation with the Union, and eager to share experiences made in our struggle to combat IUU fishing.

Thank you for your attention