On behalf of the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, NVE has presented an overview of which areas may be suitable for offshore wind. If you study the map above, you will see that the area overlaps with the Norwegian trawl fishery. The political question is who should have priority. According to a new proposal from SV, offshore wind should be prioritized in all cases where the two come into conflict. Deputy leader of the party, Torgeir Fylkesnes, tells news that the political culture in Norway is “evasive” by nature, and that it is time to speak truthfully and penetratingly about the realities. In this case, that the mantra of “coexistence” obscures actual and unavoidable conflicts of interest. – We avoid conflicts and hope for the longest time that everyone will be happy. Here, that is not an option, he says. – Sustainable fishing must be at the top of the power hierarchy, and within such a framework we can facilitate offshore wind, says Torgeir Fylkesnes (SV). Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB In 1971, the ten oil sheds were formulated by the industry committee at the Storting to establish some framework for the new petroleum industry. The counties are calling for political will and courage to create corresponding driving rules in the face of the age of offshore wind, and launch the first and second “bod”: Offshore wind must always be prioritized over bottom trawling Offshore wind must always give way to traditional coastal fishing within 20 nautical miles of the coast – The traditional fishing is sacred, says Fylkesnes. Tampen Hywind turbines are installed in Sløvåg in Gulen. Photo: Arne Stubhaug, news The government “forgot” the fish Ingrid Liland, deputy head of MDG, is positive about the proposal and calls it “a no-brainer that we should prioritize offshore wind over bottom trawling”. – There should be a ban on bottom trawling in the whole of Norway, she says. She adds that offshore wind is an “absolutely necessary part of the climate solution”, but that offshore wind must still give way to “spawning grounds, corals, bird migration and other important natural interests”. When the government presented its offshore wind plans in February last year, not a single word was mentioned about “fish” or “fishery interests”. “The alarm should go off in the fishing boats”, concluded Fiskeribladet. Since then, the government has on repeated occasions specified that the development must be “gentle” and “in interaction with fisheries and other important interests”. If the “boda” for SV and MDG remain standing, trawling in “Vestavind E” outside Vestland must give way. The trawlers in Sørvest E and Nordavind D and C must do the same. Photo: NVE – Norway has a lot to thank the trawl fleet for. – We want good coexistence. We therefore need to know more about how new and existing industries affect each other and the ecosystem, explained Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap). Trawling in Norway A trawl is a sack-shaped net that is towed along the bottom or in the water after the vessel. In Norway, bottom trawls are used in fishing for cod, haddock, pollock and prawns. Trawling takes place in the same fields year after year, and the fields make up a smaller proportion of the Norwegian sea areas and the fields are located in the most productive parts. Between 30 and 50 percent of the cold-water corals along the Norwegian coast are damaged or destroyed by bottom trawling, according to the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. The number of permits to operate trawl fishing is regulated, and no new permits are issued. A number of rules specify how the trawl should look to ensure minimal interference with small fish and bycatch. More than 40 percent of the Norwegian economic zone currently has special protection against bottom trawling. The ban on trawling applies to over 19 of the country’s largest and most important coral reefs. The fishing industry has also voluntarily protected an area in the Arctic that is twice the size of France against bottom trawling in 2016. Work is being done to develop technology that means that the fishing equipment does not destroy the seabed or uproot the carbon that is buried in the sediments. But there is still a lot of work to be done to remove all bottom contact when trawling. Source: Norwegian Fishermen’s Association/Ministry of Fisheries Audun Maråk is director of Fiskebåt, which is the employer and interest organization for the ocean-going fishing fleet. He says to news that the offshore wind enthusiasts “miss completely” in the proposal for new driving rules. – We register that they do not want to take care of an important industry that employed 20 per cent of the full-time fishermen, all living along the coast, he says. He adds that “Norway has a lot to thank the trawl fleet for” and that trawl fishing “has given legitimacy to Norway’s sovereignty over large sea areas”. Norway’s Coastal Fishermen’s Association: – This will only shift the conflicts Hanna Arctander, day-to-day leader of Norway’s Coastal Fishermen’s Association – The sea area is under ever-increasing pressure, not only in coastal areas but also further out to sea. The intake of offshore wind, aquaculture, petroleum operations, seismics, firing ranges, mining on the seabed and protected areas put a great deal of pressure on the area on which fisheries depend. Seizing the most important fishing ground for the deep-sea fishing fleet will only shift territorial conflicts and increase the level of conflict in other areas. The fisheries organizations have given clear recommendations to the energy sector to avoid conflicts of interest with the fisheries, it is a shame and highly critical that these recommendations were not followed when NVE presented its overview of new areas for renewable energy production at sea. The fisheries organizations are therefore clear that adjustments and reductions of the currently proposed areas are necessary so that fishing interests are not harmed. Audun Maråk and Kåre Heggebø, respectively Fiskebåt and Fiskarlaget, took part in the Great Sea Wind Evening that opened the Arendal Week. Photo: Arne Vatnøy – There are mistakes with completely general driving rules On behalf of the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries, the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (HI) published a report on the climate effect of bottom trawling in February. The report concluded that bottom trawling can harm wildlife and release carbon from the seabed. According to a study published in Nature, emissions from bottom trawling correspond to emissions from global aviation. news has been in contact with Norway’s coastal fishing association, Fornybar Noreg and Norwegian Offshore Wind. All respond that the proposed bids are too “categorical” and “schematic”. Jon Evang, Fornybar Noreg: – It will be too rigid at the present time to lock the development of coexistence between offshore wind, fish and the environment into this way of dividing the area. I don’t think any of the interests are sparked by that. Arvid Nesse, Norwegian Offshore Wind: – There will be errors with general driving rules here. The conflicts must be kept to the lowest possible level, and in cases where there are intersecting interests, the governing authorities must assess how we resolve the individual case. Hanna Arctander, Norwegian Coastal Fishermen’s Association: – It is positive that SV wants to protect the coastal fleet, but there is no feasible solution to confiscate the sea area for the trawl fleet in favor of offshore wind. – Traditional fishing is sacred, says Torgeir Fylkesnes (SV). Photo: Håkon Jacobsen / news
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These two maps mean conflict – news Vestland
