The annual skrei fishery in the north is one of the largest cod fisheries in the world. The sea areas outside Nordland and Troms are among the most productive in the entire world. The last robust stock of cod comes here to spawn, and the values found here in the form of renewable fishery resources are enormous. Last year, skrei was fished for a record-high NOK 3.8 billion. This year has literally struggled against the wind. So far, the figures are far below last year at the same time. Shark fisherman Robert Brun says that storms with strong winds this winter have meant that both the autoline shark “Live Elise” and the rest of the fishing boats in Vesterålen have had to be docked. – We have now had 14 days of gales and landfall. Our last delivery was February 2nd. Only today we go out again. This week the weather has improved considerably, and the fisherman is already seeing signs that it is hard to catch. – It now appears when we get out that a lot of cod has started to arrive. Råfisklaget: – The weather is the main reason for poor catches At Norway’s Råfisklaget, they confirm Brun’s experiences from Vesterålen. Managing director Svein Ove Haugland says that it is the coastal fleets in particular that have had a major decline. The cod in the Barents Sea has left the good years behind for this time. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news – The main reason why the landings are lower this year compared to last year is that there has been terribly bad weather in the last two weeks. Last weekend it went wrong. In Lofoten, the cabin of tourists Vincent and Sreypov was swept out to sea by strong winds. Managing director Svein Ove Haugland of Norway’s Råfisklag believes the season will be good. Photo: Norway’s Råfislag Haugland explains that large parts of the coastal fleet have simply not made it to sea. – But now it looks like the weather is getting better. Then we assume that landings will also increase. We hear that there are good fish for the boats that get out. So far, the numbers look bad for cod compared to last year, but it believes the raw fish team will turn around. Although the cod numbers are lower, more pollock have also been caught than in the same period last year. The Institute of Marine Research on the decline in the stock Bjarte Bogstad is the stock manager for cod in the Barents Sea at the Institute of Marine Research (HI). He is not surprised that there are fewer landings of cod so far this year. – It is expected that there will be lower landings than last year at the same time. In addition, we have the weather which also influences, he says. At its peak, in the years 2013 and 2014, the skrei fishermen caught close to 1 million tonnes of skrei. In 2021, the total catch was close to 700,000 tonnes, 185,000 below the quota. Norway exported seafood worth NOK 151.4 billion last year. That is an increase of NOK 30.7 billion, or 25 per cent, from 2021 – the previous record year. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news Last year the quota was “only” 708,000 tonnes. This year, according to the advice from the Institute of Marine Research, there were 566,784 tonnes. The cod stock has declined over the past few years. The researchers estimate that the spawning stock of cod is now at around 800,000 tonnes, the lowest since 2008 – Cod in the Barents Sea is still a large and important stock, but it is no longer a fairytale situation, says marine researcher Bjarte Bogstad. Photo: Norwegian Institute of Marine Research – The stock was at its peak around 2013 and has steadily declined since then. 2013 was almost an “all time high” for cod. As regards the decline in the stock, the Raw Fish Association does not necessarily believe that it is negative: – You can say that a reduced supply will normally lead to an increase in prices. It is only natural that we have a price increase compared to last year due to the decrease in quantity, says Svein Ove Haugland. Back in Vesterålen, fisherman Robert Brun still believes in a good season in 2023. – I have good faith in the fishing this year, but that there is less cod than three years ago, that’s for sure. Facts about the skrei fishing Photo: Helge Lyngmoe / news The skrei fishing off Sør-Troms, Lofoten and Vesterålen is the most important seasonal fishery for cod in Norway, and the largest cod fishery in the world. It is also called Lofoten fishing (old expression) and winter fishing. The bream does not come until well into January, closer to February, and until then other species are fished, such as sei. Skrei comes from the Old Norse word skrida, which means to walk or walk, but is also the term for spawning cod that has migrated from the spawning area in the Barents Sea to the coast of Northern Norway. It is the world’s largest cod population that is returning to the birthing room. The season starts just after the New Year, and the season lasts until April. For several millennia, Norway pout fishing has been the mainstay of coastal communities in the north. The fishing lasts for a while in April, and is usually finished by Easter. During this period, cod come in from the Barents Sea to spawn. The most important spawning grounds are on the north side of the Vestfjorden, from Lødingen to Røst. Until 1940, Lofoten fishing was the main source of income for a majority of fishermen in Northern Norway. Catches vary. At the turn of the millennium, 30,000 tonnes of cod were caught. In 1947, the catch was a record high of 146,000 tonnes. Skrei is a cod, but unlike the stationary coastal cod, the skrei is a wanderer. When it is ready to spawn in November/December, it sets off from its grazing areas in the Barents Sea, towards Lofoten, where it spawns during February – April. The young drift back to the Arctic Ocean where it grows up, and when the skrein is three or four years old, it goes to the Norwegian coast, as the parents did in their time. Skrei can be up to 20 years old, up to two meters long, and weigh up to 55 kilograms.
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Storms are blamed for the start of the crisis – news Nordland
