Norwegian Fisheries and Aquaculture – Meeting the challenges

The minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Helga Pedersen - speach to the 16th Groundfish Forum, Bergen 18. October 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Thank you for inviting me to speak to the Groundfish Forum. It is a privilege to meet such a group of leading representatives from the international seafood trade and industry. It is also a pleasure to see you in Bergen and in Norway.  

The roots of the export of seafood from Bergen go back some nine hundred years. The product was stockfish, and Bergen was the centre of the seafood trade. Cod was caught and dried along the Northern Norwegian coast, and transported to Bergen to be shipped abroad. For centuries stockfish was Norway’s most important export article. In payment we received important foodstuffs that were difficult or impossible to grow in Norway. 

The seafood industry is still one of the major industries in Norway, and currently we are the world's second largest seafood exporter. This makes the seafood business important to Norway.  

Norway is favoured with a long coastline, cold and clear water, and some of the world's most extensive fish resources. Our economic zone covers an area of 969 000 square kilometres.

Including the fishery protection zone around Spitzbergen and the fishery zone around Jan Mayen, we are talking about more than double this area. Our coastline is more than twenty thousand kilometres long. With fjords and sheltered waters it gives ideal conditions for aquaculture.  

Being favoured by Mother Nature in this way, gives us great responsibilities. As you all know, fish resources are limited resources, and they must be managed accordingly. Norwegian resource management reflects the best scientific advice available, taking into account the principle of the precautionary approach and sustainable use. We also place great emphasis on resource control, whose primary task is to provide information on all catches of fish within the jurisdiction of Norwegian waters.  

When it comes to the aquaculture industry, it is no less important to ensure that we operate in a responsible way. Using Mother Nature as the basis for production, we have a particular responsibility to ensure that operations are sustainable and do not harm the environment.  

With increased buying power in important seafood markets – and the increased focus on the beneficial effects seafood has on human health – I am sure that consumption of seafood will continue to grow.  

Our challenge is to ensure that this growth is sustainable. The industry’s requirements for competitive conditions must be combined with the protection of fish stocks and the environment in general. 

I will use this opportunity to share with you how the Norwegian Government – in cooperation with the seafood industry – is meeting some of the current and future challenges.  

One important competitive advantage for the Norwegian seafood industry is our proximity to the European market. This makes Norway able to deliver fresh, high quality seafood to almost 500 million European consumers. While the aquaculture industry can deliver fresh fish 365 days a year, the industry which depends on traditional fisheries has to deal with variations in supply; -  variations that are partly decided by nature and partly by regulations set by the Government to protect the fisheries resources. 

In order to improve the industry’s ability to deliver fresh wild fish all year round, the Norwegian Government has presented a “Fresh Fish Strategy”. The strategy facilitates a more continuous supply of fresh fish to the industry. It also encourages increased cooperation between the fishing industry and the aquaculture industry to consider mutual interests. The third pillar of the strategy consists of measures to ensure high quality, both in the raw material and in the final product.  

The European consumer is willing to pay for quality, and it is my ambition that Norway should serve the most demanding segments of the market. It is also important that fresh seafood production must be carried out in proximity to the fishing grounds – in coastal communities that are dependent on the fish resources, instead of having the raw material exported frozen – for processing in low-cost countries. 

Another important challenge for the Government - and for the seafood industry - is Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (the so-called IUU fishing). IUU fishing is harmful for several reasons: First of all it is injuring the marine ecosystem by depleting major fish stocks. Secondly IUU fishing is damaging the decent majority of the fishermen. Their quotas must be reduced to compensate for the illegal fishing. Thirdly IUU fishing interferes with the markets by offering cheap illegal fish in competition with legally fished seafood. Thus undermining the consumer’s trust in seafood.  

Combating criminal fishing activities has been given top priority by the Norwegian Government, and we are pleased to see that the seafood industry is also taking action to stop offending fishing activities. As an example, I recently read that to avoid trade in IUU fish, the European Fish Processors’ Association is developing instructions for its members.  

We have managed to eradicate IUU fishing in Norwegian waters. However, overfishing of the same stocks in international waters or in economic zones of other countries makes international cooperation paramount. Therefore, to gain transparency in the fisheries and the landing of fish from this area, Norway has established a close cooperation with EU, Russia and 15 other countries. Futhermore, the agreement on a comprehensive scheme for port state measures in the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commision (NEAFC), has proven to be effective. At the FAO we have initiated a process to devise a legally binding instrument for port state measures that should apply worldwide.  

Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RMFOs) have established black lists containing information on IUU vessels. Norway has established a list that incorporates all the black lists from the RFMOs, and in addition we list vessels that have taken part in illegal transhipment and unreported fishing in the Barents Sea. The list is being continuously updated and is publicly available on the website of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries. In this way we use information actively to inform and to focus on the problem. 

The work against IUU-fisheries has already given results.  

From 2005 till 2006 the illegal fishing of cod in the Barents Sea was reduced by more than 20 per cent, while the reduction for haddock was over 50 per cent. Reports from the fishing grounds, and the markets, indicate that the reduction in illegal fishing continues. 

However, the fight against IUU fishing will be a long struggle against greedy interests with only one aim – to make a quick profit in the short term.  

We already see examples of IUU operators landing fish in ports of convenience, only to export the fish to the European markets. This highlights the need to establish documents of origin and traceability of fish and fish products. While eco-labelling is welcome, we as governments must devise systems that prevent IUU-caught fish from entering the value chain. We intend to cooperate with major markets on this issue in order to attain standardised requirements across the European continent.  

We also invite you, the international seafood industry, to contribute to this work. The fight against IUU fishing is dependent on close cooperation between governments and the major companies in the industry.

Now a few words about the aquaculture sector. 

Because of natural limitations in wild fish stocks, the main growth in the seafood business will be in the aquaculture sector. In fact, last year Norwegian export sales from the aquaculture sector exceeded the sales from the traditional fisheries.  

Breeding of salmon and other fish species is a very efficient method of food production. It is important for the Government to make it possible for the aquaculture industry to continue its growth in Norway. The aquaculture companies can move production between countries based on where they find the best regulatory framework, including access to suitable production areas. We have therefore developed a strategy for how the Government can contribute to sustainable growth and competitiveness in the aquaculture sector.  

The aim of the Strategy for a competitive Norwegian aquaculture industry is therefore to give the aquaculture industry a competitive regulatory framework, combined with the necessary protection of the environment, fish health and fish welfare. The strategy includes two important measures – a new salmon licensing round in 2009 as well as a possible area fee to stimulate local authorities to expand the areas made available for aquaculture activities. 

Another challenge for the Norwegian seafood industry in general is market access.

In this forum, I would like to stress that the importers and exporters have a common interest in a well-functioning regulatory framework for trade. Complex import regulations in the form of quotas or tariffs and complicated administrative routines are burdens to all parties. We should work together towards simplification and facilitation of trade, and towards reducing unnecessary red tape. It is therefore important that you, as prominent representatives of the seafood industry, engage proactively with your respective authorities.  

From our side, it implies continued scrutiny and action to improve our routines.  

I would also like to mention the efforts that we are engaged in to ensure seafood safety. Norway is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) which unites the European Union with three of the EFTA states. We are therefore obliged to implement EU rules relating to food production and safety. 

To obtain knowledge about the positive and potential negative effects of seafood consumption, the Norwegian Government is allocating large resources to research. It is important that such knowledge is communicated to the public. The Ministry of Fisheries (and Coastal Affairs) will therefore in May next year host an international conference on Seafood and Health here in Bergen.

The conference will be organized by the National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research, and target the seafood industry, scientists and consumers. The conference is a follow-up on the first Seafood and Health Conference that was held in Washington in 2005. 

To conclude there are two messages that I would like you to remember.  

• First: When buying Norwegian seafood you can trust that you are buying products that are healthy, safe and caught or harvested in a sustainable manner.
• And secondly: I will ask you all to work to support the fight against IUU fishing. 

I wish you all a pleasant stay in Norway, – and can assure you that the Norwegian Government will continue its work for sustainable growth in the seafood industry.

Thank you for your attention.