The Norwegian Fishermen’s Association has registered surprise and and regret that the authorities have opten to stop fishing on the guaranteed quotas for snow crab. This follows the announcement by the Directorate of Fisheries of the decision on guaranteed quotas for snow crab with effect from 8th May, while catching the additional quota of snow crab landed live will continue.
The Association has pointed out on several occasions that the fleet must make adjustments this year, since this year’s fishing is the first year of regulation after the fishery was closed. It states that a regulatory system under which the guaranteed quotas are only guaranteed for a period is a new practice that is not in line with the established understanding of the concept.
Some vessels received permission and the opportunity to participate in the fishery from the start of the year, while others received permission after the fishery began.
The Norwegian Fishermen’s Association has therefore pointed out that there must be capacity to accept a catch in excess of the quota limit, so that any overfishing is not charged against next year’s quota. Such an approach would ensure equal treatment of vessels that are permitted to participate in the snow crab fishery, and must be considered an exceptional case for the current year.
The Norwegian Fishermen’s Association therefore requests that the stoppage in the guaranteed quotas be ended immediately, and that any overfishing will not be deducted from next year’s quota.
The overall quota for snow crab this year is 12,019 tonnes, of which 1202 tonnes has been earmarked for live landings and 361 tonnes for research and management purposes.
Therefore the quota after allocations is 10,456 tonnes of snow crab for 2025. As of 25th April, according to the Directorate’s statistics, around 10,694 tonnes hasd been caught, minus 252 tonnes under the live-catch scheme. Around 10,442 tonnes of the regular quota have been landed, in addition to which there are still catches on board vessels that have yet to be landed.
