When the Labor Party and the Center Party presented the government platform last autumn, they also announced a new quota announcement for the fishing industry. Work is now underway on the new report – just two years after the Solberg government presented its report. According to Minister of Fisheries Bjørnar Skjæran (Labor Party), the new quota report will provide predictability for the fishing industry and ensure settlement, activity and profitability along the coast. – We want a much stronger anchoring in the industry for the path choices we make. The government is asking for predictability, and that is what we want to deliver. That is why we have also facilitated such a broad and democratic process as we do now, says Skjæran. He points out, among other things, that a separate reference group has been appointed with representatives from the industry. – I assume that in this way we can ensure a good foothold in the industry and something that can stand the test of time, says Skjæran. One of the proposals is to create more full-time jobs in the fishing industry and fewer seasonal workers. Great need for changes The consultation deadline is set for October 7, and Skjæran promises that the final report will be ready during 2023. – If the industry is to have the opportunity to develop, a good process is needed, and therefore I hope many will use the opportunity to give a well-worked answer to the hearing, says Skjæran. According to the Minister of Fisheries, the population development along large parts of the Norwegian coast shows the great need for change. – Those who harvest the community’s resources must leave more behind in the local communities and regions where the natural resources are found. It is also crucial in the work with the quota report, says Skjæran. The following topics are under consultation: Framework conditions for the smallest coastal fleet. Group division in the coastal fishing fleet and relevant size restrictions. Distribution of structural gain from expired time limit in the structural quota scheme. Quota distribution for Northeast Arctic cod and NVG herring. (Source: Ministry of Trade and Industry) Want more full-time jobs Many in the fishing industry have clear requirements for the work the government is currently doing. The Tromvik fishing team on Kvaløya believes, for example, that the smallest boats must have their quotas filled first. The fishing team is also concerned that more local jobs are created. – We must not put the fish in a freezing hotel and send it by trailer to the continent. It must be processed on land in Norway. Then there will be jobs, says leader Roar Arne Robertsen. Roar Arne Robertsen, leader of the Tromvik fishing team, has several suggestions on how to create more jobs in the fishing industry. Photo: Aurora Berg / news No solution on the table yet Acquiring more full-time jobs in the fishing industry is also one of the goals of the government. But how it should be done, Skjæran can not answer now. – There are many steps that are needed to get year-round jobs, and we will return to that. But the biggest challenge for the whitefish industry is that they only have access to raw materials for part of the year. Therefore, Skjæran believes they must look at schemes that ensure better access to raw materials for larger parts of the year. – If not, you will not succeed in building year-round jobs, says the Minister of Fisheries.
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Minister of Fisheries Bjørnar Skjæran wants more full-time jobs in the fishing industry – news Troms and Finnmark
