Norway’s Institute of Marine Research has recommended that this year the Barents Sea shrimp catch should no texceed 143,000 tonnes.
This represents a 10,000 reduction over the 2023 quota recommendation, but remains comfortably above catch levels of 60,000-80,000 tonnes in recent years.
‘The shrimp stock has fluctuated over time, but remained at a good level. With good shrimp prices, catches have picked up in recent years, and fishing in the Barents Sea has once again become one of the largest shrimp fisheries in the North Atlantic,’ said head of research Carsten Hvingel.
Previously, the Norwegian share of the total catches was over 90%. In recent years, this has changed as vessels from other countries have participated in the fishery.
‘The total catch of shrimp in the Barents Sea has increased in recent years. Other countries, especially within the EU, account for most of the increase. But Norwegian catches have also increased, and account for approximately 50% of the catches,’ he said.
‘Catches in recent years have remained stable at a much lower level than what the stock is actually able to support, and we can state with a clear margin that we have today a shrimp stock that is sustainably exploited.’
Image: Øystein Paulsen / Institute of Marine Research
