Pelagic Fish Forum

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear seafood friends,

First and foremost, I would like to thank the Pelagic Fish Forum for organizing this important conference. I am sure it will bring up-to-date and important knowledge to us all. I hope you will establish new business connections. And develop close relationships for the future.

For as far back as we can trace our history, we have lived by the sea, off the sea and from the sea. The ocean is the blue thread that runs through the Norwegian history. It has been a source of life. And will be in the future. Hopefully. The sea is one of our most sacred treasures. Let us treat it that way. Always.

Seafood is one of Norway's most important industries. And export industries. We export almost 95 percent of our seafood. The value reached an all-time high last year. We exported 2,6 million tonnes of seafood worth nearly 10 billion euro.

When it comes to pelagics, Europe is the most important market. EU alone accounts for almost 40 percent. As you can see - an extremely important market. Last year, Denmark, Lithuania and Poland were the most important markets for Norwegian herring. Mackerel is mainly exported to countries in the Far East. Japan has traditionally been an important market. Now, China has been catching up.

That said, it is no secret that the market situation for pelagics has been quite challenging for some time. Especially after the loss of the Russian market. It is also a sector where volumes can vary substantially from one year to the next. Due to variations in catch quotas and moving prices. So far this year, the price of herring has decreased compared to last year. I hope it will bounce back.

Stable markets, such as the EU, thus become even more important. However, the market access situation for pelagic fisheries in the EU is not optimal. We face high tariffs of up to twenty percent and a complex web of import quotas for all our pelagic products. It is easy to argue that removing trade barriers is a "zero-sum" game with a winner and a loser. You lose. And we win if we move towards free-trade.

We believe that removing obstacles to trade could help reduce transaction costs for industry operators. To me, fair competition and a level-playing field is crucial. We are therefore concerned about recent developments in some of our neighbouring countries.

Introducing restrictions and requirements - such as landing fees and landing targets is notthe way forward for the pelagic industry in Europe. In my mind, this constitutes the kind of trade barrier we should avoid. We believe it is more important to find new seafood markets. The Norwegian government has an ambitious trade policy agenda. Of particular importance, is the opening of the Chinese market for pelagic fish.

China was in fact our single biggest market for the exports of frozen mackerel last year (70 000 tonnes). As you probably know, we are currently negotiating a  free trade agreement with China. And we are quite optimistic that we will achieve good results. 

Another important priority is to find new consumers. In Norway, the seafood consumption is decreasing dramatically. Especially among younger people. I know some of you have the same challenges in your countries. Therefore, I am glad to see that Norwegian herring is an important part of the traditional cuisine in our neighbouring country Sweden, but also in Germany and the eastern part of Europe. We should all eat more seafood. Especially pelagic fish. It is healthy, cheap and tasty. Full of omega3-acids and protein. Good for your body and your brain.

Norway is – together with our neighbouring countries – and the rest of the world for that matter – responsible for ensuring that our fish stocks are managed sustainably. Our objective is to enter into agreements on our shared stocks which include all relevant parties. Such agreements are indeed beneficial for all parties. However, we will not establish agreements at any cost. The agreements must be balanced and take into account the interests of all parties. We have to defend our interests and have a long term approach to our fisheries management, at the same time. Even though we have not reached agreement on everything, we are in progress. This contributes to a certain predictability for the industry. 

It is encouraging that the three largest coastal states -  Norway, EU and the Faroe Islands – have a general agreement on allocation and management of mackerel. This agreement is the basis for the agreement on quotas for 2018. That  said, I have to say it is regrettable that we have no agreement on the sharing arrangements with the other coastal states. This concerns first and foremost Iceland, which in our point of view, has demanded unreasonably high mackerel shares. 

On the other hand, let me express my satisfaction that we have reached agreement between the concerned parties on the level of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for Norwegian Spring-Spawning Herring and Blue Whiting. Both these stocks are of great importance for Norway. It is therefore crucial that they are well managed. Then, I will assure you that the Norwegian government will do what we can to reach consensus on the sharing between all the parties. 

As many of you probably already know, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, is now finalizing its work on determining the size the spawning stock of the Norwegian Spring-Spawning herring to ensure sustainable management. When this is settled, we can start the work on a new management plan. Our aim is that the advice for 2019 can be given according to a new management plan. This would be the platform for this Autumn’s consultations.

The Blue Whiting in Norwegian waters basically consists of juveniles. We are therefore aiming to protect this part of the stock. Therefore, access to EU waters for the Norwegian fleet is important. To ensure this, Norway has stayed loyal to our traditional share – despite the fact that all the other parties to the agreement have increased their shares. As for the Norwegian Spring Spawning Herring, the Norwegian government will seek to achieve agreements on the sharing also for Blue Whiting. 

Brexit will be a challenge to us all. Also when it comes to fisheries management and cooperation in the North Sea area. After the UK has left the EU, Norway will have shared fish stocks with both UK and the EU. We will have to establish new agreements on how to cooperate in the future. This is of course of great importance for the industry in all three parties. Norway has established a fruitful dialogue, with both EU and UK. We have presented our thoughts on this future cooperation. Even though neither EU nor UK are in a position now to turn their full attention to the future agreements, we feel that their response has been positive and understanding. I note that that there is an agreement on the transition period, but how this will work in detail, will be for EU and UK to agree on. When it comes to fisheries agreements between Norway and the UK in the transition period, it is important that such agreements will also be binding for the UK.

Dear seafood friends, Each day about 36 million meals with seafood from Norway are served all around the world, in more than 140 different countries. I hope that Norway will be able to contribute even more seafood to even more people in even more countries in the future! 

There is no doubt that the ocean plays a crucial role in providing food for a growing world population. The ocean is an undiscovered treasure. Which represents huge opportunities. That is why we must take good care of the ocean. We have to make sure to use the marine resources sustainably. As a globally leading seafood nation, Norway has a huge responsibility in this matter. Yes, we have great ambitions for this industry. We want to contribute to provide the world with even more seafood. But we have to do things right. We all have to treat the ocean well. And we all have to use the ocean even smarter in the future than we do today. 

We hope to find good and sustainable solutions for all of us in the near future.

Thank you for your attention!