The Norwegian Fishermen’s Association has proposed its own solution to the problem of undersized haddock in the Finnmark spring seine net fishery.
Instead of a broad closure, the Association has written to the authorities to propose increasing the codend mesh size when fishing for haddock and saithe to 130mm – as has already been done for seine netting for cod from 1st January this year across certain areas.
‘The working committee of the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association has considered this, and we also point out that we support measures that can prevent fishing of undersized fish,’ a representative of the organisation stated, adding that they consider closing a large area entirely to fishing would have severe consequences for both fishing and shore-based processing.
‘We see it was unfortunate to reverse an established and important principle in the Norwegian fishing industry, in addition to proposing different treatment for the fleet over and under 15 meters,’ the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association states.
A change of mesh size would esult in fewer small fish being caught, while maintaining the control and closure of areas when necessary if there is a high proportion of fish below the minimum mesh size. The positive spin-offs would include a simpler control and enforcement regime, without ambiguity about which is the target species.
‘Introducing a minimum mesh size of 130mm for fishing haddock and saithe will entail a major adjustment and cost for fishermen, but it will benefit fishermen in the long term by allowing the stocks to grow larger and contribute to recruitment,’ the Association states.
‘If the authorities decide, against our clear advice, to proceed with an area closure, we assume that the closed area will be significantly reduced in size and that it will be closely monitored with a view to a rapid opening. We also assume that funding is prioritised for the Norwegian Maritime Service and the Coast Guard to be in these areas to take regular samples, and we encourage fishermen to invite inspectors on board during fishing to ensure that fishing takes place within sustainable limits.’
