The Norwegian government’s 2025 state budget has been announced, and this includes putting the brakes in seabed mineral extraction as under the budget no provision is made for companies to apply to search for or extract seabed minerals. Fishing vessel operators’ federation Fiskebåt has repeatedly warned of the dangers of seabed mining and has welcomed this development.
‘It’s very good news and a this is a decision that we were afraid for a long time that the government was not willing to take,’ said Hanna Bauge, an advisor at Fiskebåt.
It’s only a few months since Fiskebåt delivered a stern warning to the Norwegian authorities, stating that it ‘requests that the government withdraw the proposal to announce areas for mineral activities on the seabed. The government should then carry out mapping work, and provide advisory research institutions with the necessary basic data to make an assessment as to whether this would be justifiable. Based on these results, the government can make a new assessment on the announcement of the first round of licences.’
The government will continue the mapping work that has been planned for 2025, based on the original proposal for the state budget on data collection for resource and environmental mapping within the opening area for seabed minerals and mapping of regional and local current conditions.
According to an official statement, ‘The majority of the committee, the members from the Labour Party, the Centre Party and the Socialist Left Party refer to the proposed allocation on ch. 1810, item 21 and emphasise that there is a need for more knowledge about natural and environmental conditions in the deep sea in all parts of the Norwegian continental shelf. These members believe that the funds should, among other things, be used for environmental mapping and measurements of bottom currents under the auspices of the Institute of Marine Research. Resource mapping must not involve the use of methods that can damage the environment.’
‘Fiskebåt is very satisfied that the government has chosen to take notice of specialist expertise, and the rest of us as consultation bodies, to put the first licensing round on hold and continue the necessary mapping work,’ Hanna Bauge said.
‘This work will be absolutely crucial in being able to assess whether the extraction of seabed minerals can be done in a sustainable manner, without destroying the ecosystems and stocks, which in turn form the resource and food base of the fishing industry.’
