Every year the same thing happens: visiting fishermen come to the fjords on Søre Sunnmøre and fish with nets while using lights to collect the fish. – They take all the herring and it makes me incredibly angry, says Lidvar Bøe. – A nest of wasps The fishing boats have quotas for Norwegian spring-spawning herring, so-called NVG herring. The problem is that Bøe and many others believe that the herring in the fjords on Sunnmøre is something completely different. They call her fjord herring, and claim that she spawns in autumn and stays in the fjords all year round. – This conflict has become a war. It’s a wasp’s nest, says the former fisherman who lives on Gursken in Sande. Facts about NVG herring Latin name: Clupea harengus L. Family: ClupeidaeMaximum size: 40 cm and 500 gMaximum lifespan: 25 yearsLiving area: Northeast AtlanticMain spawning area: Møre and NordlandSpawning time: February–MarchFood: PlanktonSpecial characteristics: Lives in dense shoals that move like one unit Source: Institute of Marine Research Will close the fjords In order to avoid catching fjord herring, several people believe that the fishermen should rather take the large quotas out at sea or in outer coastal areas. – We want the fjords to be closed to such fishermen. We must take care of the local herring stock and achieve sustainable development, says Bøe. From his house in Gursken, Livar Bø follows what is happening on the fjord. Photo: Private Can fish where they want According to the Fishermen’s Association, fishermen are free to fish their quota wherever they want, as long as they follow the regulations. – There are no own quotas for fjord herring. The herring taken into the fjords must be entered into a quota account. It will be on the quota they have: NVG herring, says Ole Morten Sorthe, day-to-day manager of Møre og Romsdal Fiskarlag. Map the herring It is not clear whether there are actually herring populations in the fjords. In order to get closer to an answer, a research project has been started. Samples of herring are collected and analyzed with a focus on DNA. The researchers look more closely at other characteristics such as length, age and what time of year they spawned. – This pilot project aims to collect information about the fisheries and resources in the fjords. It is not our task to regulate fishing, but to prepare a knowledge base, says project manager Nils Roar Hareide at Runde Forsking. Based on the new knowledge, the actors involved can discuss how the quota system and management should be in the future. Nils Roar Hareide sends the samples on for analysis at the Institute of Marine Research. Photo: Runde Miljøsenter Will not comment on the findings If it turns out that there are local herring strains in the fjords, it may be appropriate to regulate them separately by a separate set of regulations. – The results will be ready by the New Year. Since this is such an inflamed matter, I will not say anything about the findings until the project is finished, says the researcher. Fjords where there may be local herring strains According to local sources, it is claimed that there are local herring strains in the following fjords on Søre Sunnmøre. Tjørvågen, Herøy Holmefjorden, Herøy Gurskebotnen, Sande Ulsteinfjorden, Ulstein Dimnavika, Ulstein Eiksund, Ulstein Vanylvsfjorden, Vanylven Dalsfjorden, Volda Indre Austefjorden, Volda Hjørundfjorden, Volda/Ørsta Mayor Lena Landsverk Sande (V) hopes that the project will contribute to reducing the conflict. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB The project is financed by five of seven municipalities in the so-called “Sjustjerna” on Søre Sunnmøre. – We got involved in this because every autumn we get a lot of feedback from people who are frustrated with the fishing and are afraid that our fish will disappear. It turned out that it is also like this in other municipalities, says Lena Landsverk Sande, mayor of Vanylven municipality. Fears a repeat of the herring collapse In Volda, the regional association is working for fjord herring to be managed separately in its own set of regulations. Oddvar Høydalsvik (70) says they fear a repeat of predatory fishing in the 60s, which led to the disappearance of herring both in the fjords and out to sea. – Those of us who saw the fishing are sounding the alarm. It took 60 years to get the local herring back up. The fishing association denies that predatory fishing is taking place. – This fishery has nothing to do with the collapse of the herring population in the 1960s. The reason for this was mainly the capture of small herring combined with free fishing. Fishing today takes place within a total quota, the vessels’ quotas and it is sustainable fishing. The Institute of Marine Research and the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries have carried out thorough investigations related to this, says Sorthe. Search-laden fishing boats wait to unload herring in Ålesund in 1950. Photo: Sverre A. Børretzen / NTB Hopes to reduce the conflict Mayor Sande hopes the project will reduce the conflict between the people in the villages and the fishermen. – We want sustainable management of our fish, and must respect those who collect valuable food in a legal manner. But people are upset and afraid that life in the fjords could be lost in the long run. We hope the research project will give us good answers, which can be used by both local and national authorities, says Sande.
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Fears local herring stock will be fished out – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
