Welcome decline in overfishing in the Barents Sea

The 2006 report on Russian fishing of cod and haddock presented today by the Directorate of Fisheries states that Russian fishing in excess of quota in 2006 fell by 23% (equivalent to 23,000 tonnes) for cod, and by fully 55% (equivalent to 20,000 tonnes) for haddock. Estimating overfishing involves great uncertainty and poses many methodological challenges.

“The trend is a welcome decline in overfishing of important stocks in the Barents Sea. This is a result of active political cooperation between Norway and a number of countries, among which Russia is key,” says State Secretary Vidar Ulriksen of the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs. “At the same time the numbers show that 2006 saw a distressingly high catch far above the set quotas, and this underlines the need for continuing to work on measures to combat unreported fishing,” Ulriksen added.

Status report - Russian fishing of cod and haddock 2006 from the Directorate of Fisheries