Brussels 9 May 2006

Speech by the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Helga Pederesen at the press brief.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have been looking forward to this opportunity to speak to you all at one of the most important seafood fairs of the world – the Brussels European Seafood Exposition.

I want to tell you in very clear terms that we care deeply about health and welfare, just as consumers do. And let us not forget that it is also a great pleasure to eat seafood – preferably at regular intervals during the week.

It is a pleasure for me to attend a seafood fair where Norway has a great opportunity to present it’s fishing industry in general. We are currently experiencing a global seafood trend and we must seize this opportunity now to ensure that Norway continues to be a major player in this development.

Our exports are increasing. We are among the largest fish exporters of the world – and as you all know, our exports to the EU account for approximately 60% of the value of our total exports of about 4 billon Euro.

Norway’s geographic position gives us a natural role in serving the European consumers with a wide variety of seafood products. But, for Norway, it is not only important to be a large producer, it is even more important to be a reliable exporter of high-quality and safe seafood.

We care deeply about our reputation as a reliable supplier of fish and we care deeply about sustainable fisheries.

In recent years, we have seen a growing and alarming trend in illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries, not least in the Barents Sea. We need to bring these practices to an end.

We need to set up reliable control systems to stop the marketing of illegally caught fish which is undermining sustainable management of our most valuable fish stocks and which undermines the economic viability of the fishing fleets that respect the rules.

IUU-fish is also sold on the European markets. In my dialogue with my European colleagues, I have focused on the need for a political commitment to ensure responsible fishing. The European Commission and the member states of EU have a crucial role to play in the struggle against the marketing of fish from illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries. In connection with the 21 ^st> international fishing exhibition Nor-Fishing in Trondheim in August this year, I have invited European colleagues to a conference to discuss how to combat the most important challenge to achieve a sustainable development in fisheries.

It is an important task for the Norwegian fisheries authorities to give information on how we pursue a sustainable fisheries policy. Civil society, consumers, importers and retailers have an interest in how we manage our stocks, what regulations we apply, how and where the fish is marketed and what kind of standards we apply when it comes to the environment and to safe and healthy fish.

In this context, openness and transparency are key words. As of today, you can enter the new Norwegian internet-site www.fisheries.no.

Fisheries.no is a website for the Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs in cooperation with the Institute of Marine Research, the Directorate of Fisheries, the National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.

The website is closely linked to Norway’s official site www.norway.info, a portal for websites in 85 countries, representing more than 100 Norwegian foreign service missions abroad.

When entering www.fisheries.no , you will find updated information on Norwegian fisheries and aquaculture management, on the different species we manage and breed in our waters, and last but not least on our policies and measures regarding seafood safety and health issues. At present, more than 80 articles written by the relevant institutions are accessible at the site.

The articles are based on scientific studies and reports, legal acts and international agreements, with additional links in each article for those of you who want to delve into more detailed information.

I am confident that the site will be a helpful resource for journalists, non-governmental organisations, public authorities in other countries, and not least for importers, retailers and consumers.

With these words, I will now open “fisheries.no”.