Fighting IUU with traceability

The IUU-fisheries is a threat to both the fish stocks and the economic basis for the law-abiding fishermen. IUU is a challenge that no country can solve on its own. This is why Norway in cooperation with other nations has achieved quite a lot in finding common solutions to combat the IUU-fisheries.

It is a pleasure for me to speak at this particular seminar on traceability. I am convinced that it shall throw new light on this complex, but at the same time very important issue. I will use this opportunity to address how the government intends to use traceability in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregistered fishing.

FAO reports that overall, IUU fishing accounts for up to 30 per cent of the total catches in some of the main fisheries. Estimates from the Barents Sea indicate that approximately 77 000 tonnes of cod, at a first hand value of approximately 1,5 billion NOK, was subject to IUU fishing in 2006. If this information is correct, it implies that in 2006 every 6th cod in the Barents Sea was caught illegally.

The good news are that we during the recent years have seen a decline in these numbers. Prices of white fish have increased lately. This is due to a lower supply on the market of illegally caught fish. We assume this is due to stricter control measures, and we will continue to carry through control measures to combat the IUU fishing.

We do however believe that the constant challenge related to IUU-fishing in the Barents Sea can be addressed in other ways as well. Making use of traceability throughout the value chain is one of them. By introducing traceability in the fisheries sector, it will be possible to check more closely what enters production and what comes out at the other end. There will be fewer opportunities for fraud. The legal actors – who represent the majority – will benefit from traceability measures.

Norwegian authorities have recently initiated a national traceability project. The ambition is to develop a uniform system and an electronic infrastructure for traceability and exchange of information through the entire food chain in Norway. This will be addressed later by Mr Geir Kuvås from the E-Traceability project. Although food safety is the basis for this project, the fight against illegal fishing constitutes an important motivation for the fisheries authorities’ involvement in the project.

We believe that the use of electronic traceability systems can constitute an important instrument in ensuring sustainable production. Traceability throughout the value chain will make it easier to verify that fish is legally caught. This is true no matter where you are or who you are in the value chain. Further, this implies that producers, distributors and consumers can get access to vital information about the fish and its origin. 

It is not only here in Norway that IUU and traceability are seen as connected topics. The European Commission recently launched a proposal for a new council regulation. The aim is to “prevent, deter and eliminate IUU-fishing”. One of the elements in the proposal, concerns a new regime of catch certificates. The representative from the Commission will probably elaborate on this issue later today. The way we read it, it will be easier to meet the demands in the new EU-system on catch documentation, if traceability is in place. 
 
We are doing what we can to ensure that Norwegian fisheries are managed and carried out in a sustainable way. As traceability can become an important tool in this respect, our latest initiative is in connection with proposed new legislation on the management of wild marine resources. This bill proposes that Norwegian authorities should be able to impose orders on the use of traceability solutions. To secure that all fish produced in Norway is legally caught. It is our intention to make it mandatory to implement traceability throughout the value chain.

There are several challenges related to imposing traceability solutions in the industry as a tool in the management of fisheries resources. The Norwegian fishing industry consists of actors of differing size. It is our hope that they should be able to go through with traceability systems when we make it mandatory.

On the other hand – Norway has several advantages that make the transition to electronic traceability systems easier. We have for some years had research activities in this field. Since the 1990ies two Norwegian research institutions, SINTEF and Fiskeriforskning, have been involved in this field. They have undertaken pioneer work on traceability in the fishery industry. This implies that knowledge already exists, and that the industry can make use of this valuable knowledge.

Another issue that makes it easier to introduce traceability in the fishery sector, is the Norwegian first hand sale system for fish. The fishermen’s sales associations have exclusive rights to first hand sale of fish, and thereby the responsibility for recording all fish sold in Norway. They pass on all the information to the Directorate of Fisheries. This information forms the basis for quota control and fisheries statistics. By the help of this system, all fish legally caught and landed in Norway, will be registered. Given that traceability exists throughout the entire value chain, this information will follow the fish. Hence the consumer will know that the fish she is offered in the supermarket is legally caught.

I would like to take this opportunity to praise the sales associations, and in particular Norges Sildesalgslag and Norges Råfisklag. They have met the challenge of introducing traceability as a tool in the resource control, in an active and constructive manner. Thus they are playing a crucial role in the work on implementing traceability in the fishery industry. 

From the authorities’ side, we want to contribute in every way possible. The pilot projects have been partly funded by public sources – mainly from Innovation Norway, and also from the industry itself.

In my ministry we hold frequent meetings among the different actors in the traceability work. The main objective is to gather the industry, researchers and authorities in order to secure the information flow, and make sure that experience is exchanged between the participants.

The Directorate of Fisheries is heavily involved in several of the pilot projects. We expect them to continue to play an important role particularly in the project concerning quantity control.

Norwegian authorities have a long term perspective in this work. We do not want to impose mandatory traceability before the industry has had a reasonable time to adjust to the new regime. Technical solutions exist but they need to be adapted to serve this objective.

However, in order to combat illegal fishing, we do believe that solutions involving traceability will be important in the years to come.

In order to secure that traceability is implemented in an efficient and adequate way, the authorities and the industry should work together. I expect that we will see results from such collaboration already in a near future. The environment and the legal actors in the fishery industry will be the ones to benefit from an efficient system of traceability.

Thank you.