The Norwegian authorities have proposed amendments to the Marine Resources Act that would give the Directorate of Fisheries and the Coast Guard the authority to seize, destroy or dispose of unmarked fishing gear in iinstances when the owner cannot be identified.
‘This simplifies the handling of illegal fishing gear and frees up resources at both the Directorate of Fisheries and the police. The change will also contribute to the cleanup of lost gear, reduce littering and ghost fishing, and ensure better utilization of society’s resources,’ said Minister of Fisheries and the Oceans Marianne Sivertsen Næss.
Current regulations do not allow the Directorate of Fisheries to further handle seized fishing gear, and all such equipment has to be reported and handed over to the police for further handling. This uses up resources at both the Directorate of Fisheries and the police. The legislative amendment also extends to the Coast Guard, which currently hands over unmarked fishing gear to the police in the same way as the Directorate of Fisheries.
The Directorate of Fisheries has been involved in the clean-up of lost fishing gear on annual expeditions since the early 1980s. The focus has been on cleaning up the most important fishing grounds along the Norwegian coast.
Since the start of this work, several thousand tonnes of fishing gear have been recovered. In addition to nets and pots, which are considered to be the most dangerous gear in connection with ghost fishing, the Directorate of Fisheries also regularly retrieves quantities of other gear such as lines, seines, ropes, trawl warps and other items.
