– We need to safeguard the fisheries agreement with Russia. I think we can do that at the same time as we close the last three ports for Russian fishing vessels in Norway, says Ola Elvestuen to news. He sits in the Storting for the party Venstre. Figures from the Directorate of Fisheries show that over 80 per cent of Russian fishing quotas in the Barents Sea are fished in Norwegian waters. By comparison, Norwegian fishermen fished only 1.5 percent of their quotas in the Russian zone. news’s calculations show that the value of Russian fishing quotas in the Barents Sea this year is between NOK 10 and 15 billion. Ola Elvestuen (Venstre) wants to close Norwegian ports to Russian fishing vessels. Photo: Peder Martin Bergholt Elvestuen: Provides access to larger fish in Norwegian sea areas In 2022, Russian vessels caught 357,220 tonnes of fish in the Norwegian economic zone and the Svalbard zone. While Norwegian fishermen fished 4,838 tonnes in the Russian zone. Thus, Russian fishing vessels caught 73 times more fish in Norwegian sea areas than Norwegian fishermen fished in Russian sea areas. This is how news worked with the figures: Where did the figures come from? The figures are taken from the Directorate of Fisheries and confirmed by the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries: What do the figures show? In 2022, Russian vessels caught 357,220 tonnes of fish in the Norwegian economic zone and the Svalbard zone. While Norwegian fishermen fished 4,838 tonnes in the Russian zone. 83 percent of the Russians’ share of the total quota in the Barents Sea is thus fished in Norwegian economic zones. 1.5 percent of Norwegian quotas were fished in Russian sea areas. The figure for the total quota is taken from the Norwegian-Russian fisheries agreement for 2022. So far this year, Norwegian fishermen have fished 3,908 tonnes of fish in the Russian zone, while Russian fishermen have fished 115,302 tonnes. Russian fishermen caught 73 times more fish in Norwegian zones in 2022, compared to Norwegian fishermen in the Russian sea area. The corresponding figure so far this year is 30 times more. How have we calculated the value of Russian fishing quotas? To calculate the value of Russia’s share of the total quota in the Barents Sea, we have used the quota base for 2023 from the Norwegian-Russian fisheries agreement. It is not known what prices Russian fish achieve in the market. We have used Norwegian minimum prices from the Norwegian Raw Fish Association as a basis for calculating a lowest value of the Russian quotas. This is the value the Norwegian coastal fleet would achieve with the same quota basis. The lowest estimate is therefore NOK 10 billion. We have used export figures for frozen fish from the Norwegian Seafood Council as a basis to find an upper estimate. This is the value the Norwegian trawler fleet would achieve by exporting this fish. The upper estimate is thus NOK 15.7 billion. During the joint Norwegian-Russian fisheries negotiations last autumn, Russia threatened to terminate the Norwegian-Russian fisheries agreement. Russia would take the threat seriously if Norway changed access to Norwegian ports for Russian vessels. – We rejected this on the Russian side, says Maritime and Fisheries Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap) to news. – I think Russia has an interest in being part of the fisheries agreement with Norway. It gives them access to better fishing in Norwegian sea areas, says Elvestuen. The reason is the migration patterns of the large fish stocks in the Barents Sea. The cod along the coast of Norway partly grows up in Russian sea areas. Photo: MARINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE Parts of the cod population grow up in the Russian zone. Later, the stock migrates into Norwegian sea areas where commercial fishing for the species takes place. Elvestuen points out that news has demonstrated in a number of articles that Russian trawlers may have been used for intelligence activities in Norwegian ports and in Norwegian sea areas. In addition, news has revealed that the police in Troms and Finnmark enforce land law for foreign seafarers differently. Thus, Russian seafarers have been able to travel freely in parts of Troms, from vessels in the port of Tromsø. Rasmus Gjeddsø Bertelsen is professor of Nordic Studies at UIT Norway’s Arctic University. Photo: Eskild Johansen / news UIT professor: – But you don’t choose your own geography Rasmus Bertelsen is professor of Nordic Studies at UIT Norway’s Arctic University. He believes it can be difficult to know how Russia will react if Norway closes the ports: – But you don’t choose your own geography. One does not choose one’s own nature either. The Norwegian-Russian neighborhood is to a large extent defined by the joint Norwegian-Russian fishing resources in the Barents Sea, says Bertelsen. He fears a port closure could have consequences for the relationship between Norway and Russia: – You have to consider very carefully what the future neighborhood with Russia will look like. Both in relation to the new geopolitical conditions, but also the natural geographical conditions, which are a prerequisite in the neighbourhood, he says. Geir Hønneland is a senior researcher at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. He is researching the Norwegian-Russian fisheries agreement. Photo: Matias Hamre Researcher: – Will lose access to the best fishing Russia has financial interests in keeping the Norwegian-Russian fisheries agreement regardless of access to Norwegian fishing ports. Especially since the agreement ensures Russian fishing vessels access to Norwegian waters. Geir Hønneland, who is a researcher at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, thinks so: – It would be very unprofitable for Russian fishing companies to fish for small cod outside the Kola Peninsula. – Basically, the Russians have no financial interest in withdrawing from the administrative cooperation with Norway. Then they will lose access to the best fishing in the Barents Sea, says Hønneland. Hønneland emphasizes that this assumes that Russia emphasizes the economic results of the agreement. He believes the big political game is decisive whether Russia keeps the agreement or not: – The only reason I can see is if the highest political level in Russia decides to withdraw the country from such international cooperation, says Hønneland. Ingrid K. Pettersen is a former market analyst at the Seafood Council and is now researching fisheries and the market at the Norwegian Fisheries College. Photo: Eskild Johansen / Eskild Johansen Researcher fears overfishing – If we no longer have joint management of these fish stocks in the Barents Sea, we risk, in the worst case, what we call a “tragedy of the commons”, says researcher Ingrid Pettersen. She is a former seafood analyst at Norway’s Seafood Council, and researches market access for fish at the Norwegian Fisheries College. It could also be disastrous for Norwegian fisheries: – Without a joint quota agreement between Norway and Russia, overfishing could occur, and the stocks would be fished out, says Pettersen. She believes that Russian fishermen will be able to fish in the Russian zone, although they may want to get lower prices for the fish: – We know that the Russians have been good at finding new markets for their fish, so there is reason to believe that they will get sales of their fish. Oceans and Fisheries Minister Bjørnar Skjæran on board the coastal fishing boat “Rowenta” in January this year. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news Skjæran: – It is important that we have a sustainable management Marine and Fisheries Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap) believes that it is not decisive for the Norwegian-Russian fisheries agreement that Russian fishing vessels have access to Norwegian ports: – Port calls have no directly related to the fisheries agreement. But it is right to see these things in context. He believes it is in Norway’s interests to have peace about the fisheries in the Barents Sea: – It is important that the fishermen can exercise their profession as normal. It is also important that we have sustainable management of the stocks in the Barents Sea, says Skjæran.
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Over 80 percent of Russian fishing quotas are fished in Norwegian sea areas – news Troms and Finnmark
