The fisheries protection zone around Svalbard was created in 1977 and draws out 200 nautical miles from the Svalbard base line. Norway establishes fisheries regulations for this area and the purpose of creating the zone was primarily to control fishing in the area and prevent overfishing, according to the Norwegian Fisheries Ministry.
“Norway holds the exclusive right to regulate fisheries in the fisheries protection zone”, says Norwegian Fisheries Minister Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen. The EU has granted itself a quota of 28,431 tons of cod in the fish protection zone around Svalbard. That is some 10,000 tons more than what Norway has granted the EU.
In a press statement last Friday, the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries writes that the EU’s granting of quotas in the fisheries protection zone around Svalbard violates Norway’s sovereign rights according to the UN Convention on Law of the Sea. “The EU has granted itself a quota of 28,341 tons of cod for 2021 in the fisheries protection zone. This violates Norway’s sovereign rights according to the UNCLOS and we look gravely upon the EU’s one-sided granting of quotas. I have therefore made it clear to the EU that any fisheries extending beyond the Norwegian-granted quotas will be considered illegal fisheries and asserted by the Coast Guard in the regular way”, says Fisheries and Seafood Minister Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen (Conservatives). On Thursday, Fisheries and Seafood Minister Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen met with the EU’s Commissioner for the Environment, the Sea and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicus. “This is totally unacceptable behavior from the EU. Norway holds the sole right to regulate fisheries in the fisheries protection zone around Svalbard, and only Norway may grant the EU fish quotas in that area”, Ingebrigtsen says. New quota following Brexit Norway has allocated the EU a cod quota of 17,885 tons in the fisheries protection zone for 2021. Great Britain’s historic fisheries were deducted when the EU quota was calculated, the Ministry writes. As a consequence of Brexit, Great Britain’s historic fisheries may no longer constitute a foundation for EU’s quotas.
Norway holds the sole right to regulate fisheries in the area Norwegian Fisheries Minister Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen (Conservatives)
Not necessarily coordinated policies Senior Researcher Andreas Østhagen at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute says to High North News that this is another example of fisheries and fish quotas being a bone of contention between Norway and the EU. “Norway and the EU are unable to fully agree on fisheries and fish quotas. We have seen that amongst others in the snow crab conflict between Norway and the EU.
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