The case in summary New research shows that the shrimp have disappeared from field after field in southern Norway and in the North Sea The government has reduced the fishing quota, and the shrimp fishermen are furious Researcher Guldborg Søvik at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research says that the shrimp population in southern Norway is at a critically low level The Minister of Fisheries describes the situation as the shrimp population as serious The fishermen believe the method the researchers have used to conclude a lower population does not give a certain answer The Norwegian Fisheries Society has engaged its own biologists to see if the research quota is based on votes Shrimp researcher Guldborg Søvik believes the method behind the research results gives a good estimate of the population size The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. A brand new research article from Swedish and Norwegian researchers shows that shrimps have been serially eradicated from several areas outside southern Norway, in the North Sea and outside Great Britain. – The shrimp population in southern Norway is at a critically low level, and the distribution has decreased, says researcher Guldborg Søvik at the Institute of Marine Research. In the Skagerrak, there are still shrimps and active shrimp fishing, but the researchers warn that the population has become much smaller in recent years. Søvik is Norway’s foremost expert on shrimp, and has been involved in the research that was recently published in the renowned journal ICES Journal of Marine Science. – If the sea gets warmer, the shrimp may also disappear entirely from the Skagerrak. The situation is not good, says Søvik. Guldborg Søvik is Norway’s leading shrimp researcher. She says that the prawns have disappeared from several areas along southern Norway. Photo: Torhild Dahl / Institute of Marine Research – Not for everyone The shrimp trawler, which used to be out every day, is now moored at the harbour. Tobias Rosendal Bech is a keen shrimp fisherman in Færder. Together with his family, he runs the shrimp trawl Solvaag. Being a fisherman is a way of life, says Tobias Rosendal Bech. Because he gives being at sea a feeling of freedom. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / news – We are a family business and work, so to speak, on a voluntary basis to make it work. He says the job is not for everyone. – Being a fisherman is a way of life. You get up at 3 am and come home late. Few people want to in today’s society. When the family invested in the shrimp trawl earlier this year, the shrimp quota was significantly larger. – We invested on the wrong basis, says Rosendal Bech. The fishermen against the scientists This summer, the news came that the shrimp quota had been greatly reduced. The research from ICES, as well as an agreement with the EU, is the reason why it is no longer possible to fish as many prawns as before. The Minister of Fisheries describes the situation for the shrimp population as serious. – It is serious for the fishermen, but sustainable management is the only way we can go, otherwise what is now a difficult and demanding situation will be catastrophic, says Fisheries Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap). The fishermen believe that the method the researchers have used to conclude a lower population does not give a certain answer. – There are lots of prawns out in the fjord. We are in a powerless situation, says fisherman Tobias Rosendal Bech. Tobias Rosendal Bech says there are lots of prawns out in the fjord. The picture is from a shrimp catch at Solvaag recently. Photo: Tobias Rosendal Bech / private Jan Bredesand, board member of the Fishermen’s Association, is not worried about the future of the shrimp in the Skagerrak. He believes the reduced amount of female shrimp this year is due to natural variations. – We have engaged independent biologists to look at the model used by ICES. Scientists have made mistakes before, so we have to turn over all the stones to see if they are wrong. If there is no mistake, we just have to accept it. The fishing association has engaged its own biologists to see if the research quota is based on votes. Photo: Ken Markus Christensen / news Shrimp researcher Guldborg Søvik believes that the method behind the research results gives a good estimate of the population size. – I completely agree that catches vary from day to day, and also throughout the day. So I have no doubt that the fishermen have good catches in Skagerrak. But the overall picture does not look so good. Staying ashore The Fisheries Minister understands the fishermen’s frustration, but says the research is clear. – The researchers have given us advice to reduce even more than the quota that Norway and the EU have now agreed on, he says. For the shrimp trawl Solvaag, the reduced quota means a backlog of maintenance, and several days a week lying ashore. – It is difficult to see that there are lots of prawns out there, but that we are not allowed to harvest nature’s bounty. It makes us frustrated. We have bills and obligations. We can’t just lay the boat down, says Rosendal Bech. The fishing trawler Solvaag has a backlog of maintenance in the engine room as a result of tight deadlines. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / news
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The shrimp may disappear from Southern Norway – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
