Ghost nets are fishing nets that remain unattended for a long time in the sea. A few days ago, the Directorate of Fisheries, with the help of the port authorities in Kirkenes, took up 120 such nets in Bugøynes. The fishing industry in Varanger has become prosperous because of the sought-after king crab, which today is advertised and put up for sale for close to NOK 1,600 per kilo. Inside the net vases came 6,000 kilos of king crab. The retail price would therefore have been around NOK 10 million. These crabs were about to disintegrate. Lengthy proceedings may be part of the reason, admits the Directorate of Fisheries. The Directorate of Fisheries picked up a “ghost net” in Bugøynes in the Varangerfjord on Monday. It contained about six tonnes of king crab. Photo: Private bath about help The owner of the fishing nets is the local fisherman Chris Thorsen. He puts the responsibility on the Directorate of Fisheries. Thorsen’s boat crashed. Shortly after the accident, he is said to have contacted the directorate to get help with retrieving the nets that were then in the sea. – If the Directorate of Fisheries had been more helpful immediately after the accident, I would have been spared many weeks of work. There is a lot of money that is rubbish now, says Chris Thorsen. Chris Thorsen is annoyed that it could take several weeks to get help from the Directorate of Fisheries. Photo: Kristin Humstad / news He says that he asked for permission to use another vessel to take up the nets, but claims that he was met with inflexible regulations. Nor should the Directorate have been willing to use its own vessels to retrieve the nets. – The way I knew it, I was immediately overlooked. I felt that they thought that we have a thug there, and now we will take him as a thug for what he is worth. It shouldn’t be like that. Slow proceedings Communications advisor Olav Lekve in the Directorate of Fisheries believes that there are many reasons why it took several weeks before the nets were recorded. One reason is the proceedings for such cases. – There are procedures for such cases. You report the loss, and then some time will pass, so that people have the chance to sort things out on their own before the Directorate of Fisheries takes action. – So what is a long time will be relative, says Lekve, who certainly does not exonerate Thorsen. Olav Lekve and the Directorate of Fisheries are considering reporting the owner of the nets to the police. Photo: Vegard Oen Hatten / Fiskeridirek / Vegard Oen Hatten / Directorate of Fisheries Thorsen’s requirement was that he himself had to be with the vessel that was to bring up the nets. Thorsen thinks he had no chance, as he was forced to save his own boat which had crashed. Thus the nets remained standing while the crab catch continued to increase outside Bugøynes. Lekve believes the directorate gave Thorsen time to sort himself out before he would be ordered to remove the nets. The fisherman has now received an offer from the Directorate of Fisheries to retrieve the nets. He still risks a fine or being reported to the police. Photo: Kristin Humstad / news Want clear demands The fisherman is calling for a completely different attitude in the Directorate of Fisheries. He believes that the directorate should have immediately informed him to arrange a chartered vessel and get the nets up as soon as possible, and that everything should have been weighed and documented. – Then we should have taken it from there. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way today, says Thorsen. From Bugøynes, Norway King Crab delivers crab delicacies to Europe. Daily manager Jørn Olaf Malinen is upset at how this resource has been destroyed. – It’s an incredible amount. This could be something that other fishermen could have access to, and which could have created production on land. And not least exports out of the country. The six tonnes could, for example, given Norway King Crab operation and export until Christmas Eve, he says. Even though Thorsen lost his nets, he will not be punished for exactly this, as he has not done anything illegal and reported it to the Directorate of Fisheries when it happened. According to the fisherman himself, he may still be reported to the police for environmental crime if the crabs are not cleaned up within a short time.
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