The Blue Economy - Sustainable Fisheries Management

Dr. Kathrine Michalsen

Center for Development Cooperation in Fisheries

Institute of Marine Research

Norway

SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES

• Norway: is now among world leading

countries in fisheries and fisheries

management.

• But: WE HAVE LEARNED IT THE

HARD WAY – FROM SERIOUS

MISTAKES WITH OVERFISHING AND

STOCK DEPLETION IN THE 1960-

70'ies.

Depletion of the largest fish stock in the N. Atlantic (NSS-

Herring): an eye opener and point of departure for

sustainable fisheries management

3,5

3,7

3,9

4,1

4,3

0

3

6

9

12

15

1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000

spaw

nin

g s

tock (

mill

ion tonnes)

to C

(Toresen and Østvedt 2000)

The main elements for sustainable fisheries

Fisheries research:

- how much fish is

available?

Exploration rate

Management

measures:

- who should fish

- how much

Exploration pattern

Control: -how much fish is

caught

-Fisheries statistics

IUUN and overfishing

Sanctions: -Fee

-Arrestment of vessel

International cooperation

Main elements in the management regime for sustainable fisheries

Stakeholder participation

Gullestad et al. 2012

Increased fishing capacity

1950+: accellerating increase in

fishing capacity:

larger vessels, larger engines,

echosounder, sonar, purse seine,

power block, nylon, improved

navigational systems

new species caught

still with an open access fishery -

until the 1970/80-ies.

NE-Atlantic fish catch, 1908-present

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008

ICES areas I and II (thousand tonnes)

Redfish

Shrimp

G. halibut

Polar cod

Capelin

Herring

Saithe

Haddock

Cod

Structural policy measures

• Limiting access – first as an emergency

action => necessary to avoid overfishing

• Ending of fishery subsidies

• Distribution of fishing rights – individual

licenses and quotas

• Scrapping schemes/license aggregation

schemes

Norwegian catches, fishermen and

productivity 1945 - 2011

* Preliminary figures 2011

Aggregate spawning stock of important

pelagic species 1985 – 2011 (1000 tonnes)

0

2 000

4 000

6 000

8 000

10 000

12 000

14 000

16 000

18 000

20 000

22 000

1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011

10

00

to

nn

/10

00

to

nn

es

Aggregate spawning stock of important

groundfish species 1985 – 2012 (1000

tonnes)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011

10

00

to

nn

/10

00

to

nn

es

In 2012;

modern purse seiner/pelagic trawler (2000 tons) – state of the art fishing gear,

equipment, technology etc. do catch more in tones than the old vessels, but

- fewer vessels

- selective gears (size and species, season, area)

- Reduced fishing pressure

Increased outcome per fisherman

Increased spawning stocks - optimizing long term economic yield based on

precautionary harvest control rules, stable income and F

Easier to control and adjust fishery according to biological production and

environmental conditions

Thank you for your attention

Capture

Fisheries

Aquaculture Environment

Policy &

Management

The future is dependent on cooperation!