The case in summary Hobby fisherman Jon Lenæs can throw the line to the left and pull up a cod, legally, while he has to let it out again if he casts to the right. There is a year-round ban on cod fishing in the Oslofjord and Vestfold and Telemark. There has not been such a poor stock of cod in the Skagerrak in over a hundred years as it has been in recent years. The reasons for the low population are complex, including sea temperatures, access to food and high mortality. The aim of the measures is a state where one can go out with a clear conscience and catch a cod for dinner. This can lead to some absurdities, such as in some places the rules change just by moving a few centimetres. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. On a reef outside his cabin in Kragerø, i.e. in Vestfold and Telemark county, Jon Lenæs stands with his fishing rod and looks out over the Skagerrak. If he moves an arm’s length away, he is in Risør, i.e. in Agder county. – In Vestfold and Telemark it is not allowed to fish for cod. If I get a cod, I have to put it back out. If I catch a cod in Agder, I can take it up to the cabin and eat it – if it’s big enough. Jon Lanæs at the brewery in Kragerø. Photo: Theodor Aasland Valen / news The year-round ban on cod fishing in the Oslofjord and Vestfold and Telemark was introduced in 2019. – Difficult to draw distinctions But is everything in its best order with the cod population if you cross the county border to Agder? No, says the expert. – It is always very difficult to draw sharp distinctions when dealing with nature and biology. As soon as you translate nature into regulations, you get such absurdities, says Sigurd Heiberg Espeland. He is a research group leader at the Institute of Marine Research, and works, among other things, on the protection of coastal cod. – The distinction is made because the Oslofjord, including Vestfold and Telemark, is particularly bad. But it is not the case that the relationship for a cod is dramatically different from Kragerø to Risør. The cod rarely nibble in the Skagerrak. The stock has long been low. Photo: news There has never been a worse stock – Here it will only be salad today, that is. Jon Lenæs has just seen what he thinks is a “shadow of a sea trout” in the water next to the fishing hook. But hey, he doesn’t think it will be today. The cabin owner has not caught cod on the hook for many years. – In the 90s, perhaps around the turn of the millennium, the cod disappeared, says the fishing enthusiast. Jon Lanæs says he hasn’t caught cod on the hook for many years. Photo: Theo Valen / news Sigurd Heiberg Espeland of the Institute of Marine Research can recognize himself in what Lenæs tells. – We have followed cod in the Skagerrak for over a hundred years. It has never been as bad as it has been in recent years. Many reasons for low stock He believes the reasons are complex. – Sea temperatures have become higher. Access to food can be a problem. There is also high mortality because the fish are caught. An evaluation of the measures to increase the cod stock, including bans in the Oslofjord and Skagerrak, showed no improvement in the stock. It was not expected either, says Espeland, who was among the researchers who worked on the evaluation. – If you have very little money in the bank, you get very little interest. It takes time to build up, he says. The measures were therefore extended indefinitely. – The cod must go through many critical periods before it grows up and can become spawning. We see that cod on the Skagerrak generally does not get more than two to four years old before it is fished. In comparison, cod in the Barents Sea and Lofoten take six to eight years before reaching sexual maturity. – The cod in the Skagerrak have no time for that at all. Have to live with some absurdities The goal of the measures introduced is a state where one can go out and catch a cod for dinner with a clear conscience, according to Espeland. Then you have to live with the absurdity that in some places, such as at Lenæs’ cabin, the rules change just by moving a few centimetres, Espeland believes. – Then he gets to enjoy the fact that, after all, he lives so close that he can cross the border and fish for cod, laughs the researcher. Jon Lenæs has a great understanding that somewhere the border must be crossed. – It is a measure to try to get the stock back up. We can only hope that it succeeds, says the hobby fisherman. This is what Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran says: Is it appropriate to have a year-round ban on cod fishing along such a small part of the coast? Why hasn’t the year-round ban been extended to more of the coast than just Vestfold and Telemark and the Oslofjord? – The coastal cod is in poor condition. Research has shown a bad development over time, and it is particularly bad in the Oslo Fjord and on the Skagerrak coast. Therefore, there has been a need to have a ban on fishing. And precisely because it is an invasive measure, attempts have been made to limit it. When the ban has been in effect for a while, we will assess it again, and see if there is a need to expand the area with a fishing ban. What do you think is the most important measure to protect the cod population in this country? (Are there other measures that have a greater impact on the stock than recreational fishing?) – The most important thing is that we ensure that the fish have good areas where the stock can grow, and that there is not too much fishing so that sustainability is compromised. Which measures have the greatest effect will vary, and we determine fisheries regulations based on the kind of challenges that exist in the stocks’ distribution areas. In the Oslo Fjord, a halt in recreational fishing could have a quick effect. In order to get good results over time, the most important thing will be to prevent run-off from agriculture, as well as the conservation and restoration of important growing areas.
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Can fish for cod on half of the cabin site – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
