According to Johnny Berfjord of Norwegian vessel owners’ federation Fiskebåt, there is potential to make the Norwegian quota system both simpler and easier to work with. His comments have been made on the association’s website just as the Norwegian authorities are working on a Parliamentary report on the quota system. Johnny Berfjord commented that there is a need to ensure calm and stability around the structure of the fishing fleet.
The committee’s proposal for a new quota system is based on a list of critical assumptions, stating that fixed quota allocation keys must be established for all regulated stocks, that it is necessary to establish time-limited structural quotas, that there needs to be a conversion of existing time-limited structural quotas to unlimited quotas, that shortening of the use of the structural quota system must be ended, and that a simplified and more flexible quota system provides the basis for evaluating resource interest taxation.
‘Fiskebåt is prepared to discuss a new quota system based on these assumptions,’ he said.
‘At the same time, it has been crucial for Fiskebåt that the processing of this case is based on the fisheries policy premises set out in today’s quota system.’
‘Fiskebåt finds that there is no broad political agreement on the basic principles of the quota committee’s proposal, and in particular this concerns the duration of the structural quotas. Fiskebåt believes it is important to achieve broad political agreement on the framework conditions in the fishing fleet, and believes that further processing of this case must be based on this.’
He said that Fiskebåt emphasises that today’s unresolved situation weakens profitability and reduces the ability of the fishing industry to reach ambitious environmental targets.
‘Fiskebåt also emphasises that today’s quota system has contributed to a modern and profitable fishing fleet. It is possible to simplify today’s quota system and achieve many of the same benefits that the Quota Committee wishes to achieve through a new quota system with regard to efficiency, flexibility and legitimacy, without fundamental changes,’ he said.
Fiskebåt’s standpoint is that the development of a future quota system and structure for the fishing fleet should be based on today’s time-limited structural quota systems being evaluated and improved, the removal of geographical constraints on the structural quota arrangements, the establishment of a flexible quota system and a simplification of today’s quota system.
‘Fiskebåt also believes that a satisfactory result on these points would provide the basis for evaluating an increased resource interest tax on the fishing fleet, but it is assumed that this is adjusted so that value creation in the fishing industry is not reduced,’ he said.
