Off the coast of Norway, fish swim for great values. Fish that is also available to the Russians, through an almost 50-year-old collaboration between Norway and Russia. Despite the war in Ukraine, and strong sanctions against Russia, Russian trawlers can land fish worth billions of kroner in Norway. Now next year’s fisheries agreement is on the way. The Ministry of Trade and Fisheries confirms to news that the Norwegian-Russian fisheries negotiations are planned in two weeks. The Russians have agreed. – We received confirmation before the weekend from the Russian side that they accept the proposal, says communications advisor Halvard Wensel. Fisheries cooperation between Norway and Russia Norway and Russia have fisheries cooperation that stretches back to the mid-1970s. Today, this means that the countries together agree on quotas, i.e. how much fish the two countries can catch. The goal is sustainable fishing. The countries also cooperate on research and control in the fishing industry. The agreement also states that Russian fishermen can fish in Norwegian areas. An important justification is that a more even harvest of fish in the Barents Sea is more sustainable. Russian boats can also deliver fish to Norway. It is secret how the Russians distribute the quotas between their shipping companies. There is far more fishing in the Norwegian zone than in the Russian zone. Some of the best cod areas in the world can be found in the Norwegian economic zone. While the cod breeds in the Russian zone, it swims over to the Norwegian zone before becoming a mature fish. The quota advice from the researchers is over 500,000 tonnes of cod. The fish is usually distributed equally between Norway and Russia. The meeting is held digitally, and a number of representatives from the civil service participate. – There is no getting away from the fact that it is a rather unusual event in today’s situation, says Professor Geir Hønneland at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. – A rare remnant of normality in how the outside world relates to Russia. The government has chosen to shield fisheries management in the Barents Sea from the sanctions. But the security political situation increases the pressure. Russian trawlers After the gas explosion in the Baltic Sea, several people in the Storting have asked questions about the risks surrounding Russian trawlers. The right-winger Erlend Svardal Bøe has asked the government to reconsider the exemption for Russian fishing vessels in Norwegian ports. He pointed in a chronicle to the cable breaks in Vesterålen and on Svalbard. Russian trawlers crossed both submarine cables before the connection was lost. Fisheries Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap) has said that he is following developments closely, but has seen no reason to reverse the exemption. Skjæran’s reasoning is that sustainable management is absolutely fundamental for the government. He pointed to the collapse of the herring population in the 60s and the cod crisis in the 80s. Thinks the government is missing the point – the Fisheries Administration is about joint fishing across borders. It is not about being allowed to sell fish in Norwegian ports. That’s what fisheries policy spokesperson from the Liberal Party, Alfred Bjørlo, says. He also wants a port ban for Russian fishing vessels. – It is the Norwegian government that has put this together. And we should definitely not do that, when we now know that Russian oligarchs are raking in billions of kroner on the fish trade. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre defended on Monday evening that Russian vessels are still allowed to dock in Norwegian ports. Although security has been increased in other areas of the country, Støre believes that the controls on fishing vessels are good enough.
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Norway meets Russia for fisheries negotiations – a rather unusual event – news Troms and Finnmark
