The parties have agreed to set the 2009 cod quota at 525,000 tonnes, the haddock quota at 194,000 tonnes and to allow capelin fishing within a quota of 390,000 tonnes, a press release from the Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs reads.
For Norway, the quota increase for cod and haddock and the reopening of capelin fishing represents a landed value of between NOK 1 and 1.5 billion. “The quota increases will stimulate greater activity and can secure jobs and ensure profitability in a situation of great economic uncertainty. This is particularly important for an export industry that is exposed both to international fluctuations and economic trends in Norway, Minister Pedersen.
In setting the cod quotas for 2009 the parties have gone above the limits of the established management strategy by increasing the quota by about 20 per cent, while the normal range is a change of up to 10 per cent from one year to the next. The reason for this decision is that the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has assessed the stock situation as being far better than the basis that has been used in recent years.
The Joint Norwegian-Russian Fishery Commission has since 1975 regulated fishing in the Barents Sea. This year’s meeting took place in the Norwegian city of Bergen.
Read the whole press release from the Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs here.
Read press release from the Russian Fishery Agency here
Photo: Regjeringen.no
