Fisheries

Issues of importance for ecosystem based management (introduction)

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:37:57 +0000

As described in the introduction (chapter Introduction), this report will be used as a basis for developing ecosystem based management in the Barents Sea. The report is intended to establish the status for the entire Barents Sea ecosystem. It forms an information basis for establishing a management plan for the Russian part of the ecosystem and provide support for further developing the ecosystem based management plan for Norwegian waters in the area (The Royal Norwegian Ministry of the Environment 2005-2006).

Management

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:46:05 +0000

Until the 1960ies there were few fisheries regulations outside the national fishery borders. In later years, and especially after the introduction of exclusive economical zones (EEZ), a series of catch and technical regulations has been introduced in order to increase the sustainability and long term yield.

Joint Russian-Norwegian Management of the fisheries in the Barents Sea

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:54:10 +0000

The stocks that form the basis for the fisheries in the Barents Sea are shared stocks between Russia and Norway. The management body regarding fisheries in the Barents Sea is the JRNFC. This commission was formally established in 1975. The competence of the Commission includes decisions on management strategies, quota allocation and technical properties of the fishing gears.

Scientific advice

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:56:39 +0000

The basis for the scientific advice on utilizing the commercial fish stocks in the Barents Sea is a co-operation between Russian and Norwegian scientists. The scope of this work is defined in Appendix 10 in the Protocol from the annual meetings of the JRNFC. The scientists carry out joint surveys and other types of data collection.

Control on compliance of the fishing fleet to regulations

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:58:26 +0000

There is at present, on the basis of decisions made by JRNFC, a co-operation between inspectors from the coast guard and other control authorities regarding inspection of fishing vessels and their fishing gears. There is also an ongoing work on harmonizing the technical measures of the fishing gear used by Russian and Norwegian fishing vessels.

Control on compliance of the fishing fleet to regulations - Control of the implementation of the decisions taken by JNRFC

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:00:15 +0000

The Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation and the Office of the Auditor General of Norway in 2006-2007 conducted a parallel audit of the Management and Control of Fish Resources in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea. The audit was performed in parallel in the sense that common audit questions and audit criteria were defined and the same outline was used for the reports. The two audit reports were written separately and on the basis of independent information.

Ecosystem considerations

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:02:35 +0000

Within fisheries, the ecosystem approach to management is a principle ascribed to, and adopted, by many governments, international organisations and agreements (Bianchi and Skjoldal 2008).

Themes to consider when developing ecosystem based management

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:04:49 +0000

Although the largest commercial stocks are exploited sustainably, some of the smaller stocks are over-fished (chapter Current and expected state of the ecosystem - Overview of state and expected situation). In addition, bottom trawling may have considerable effects on benthic organisms and habitats (chapters General background description of the ecosystem - Biotic components - Benthos; General background description of the ecosystem - Ecosystem interactions - Human impact; Current and expected state of the ecosystem - Overview of state and expected situation and Current and expected state of the ecosystem - Human activities/impact - Oil and gas activities). These conclusions are consistent with those made by the ICES Arctic Fisheries Working Group, which lists the following impact of the Barents Sea fisheries on the ecosystem:

Themes to consider when developing ecosystem based management - Mixed fisheries, undersized fish, discard, bycatches and IUU fishing

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:06:46 +0000

The demersal fisheries are mixed, especially regarding cod and haddock. Usually the vessels are given specific quotas on cod and haddock. Even though discarding is illegal, when the quota of one of the species is taken there may be discarding of this species until the quota of the other species is taken.

Themes to consider when developing ecosystem based management - Impact of bottom trawling on benthos

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:09:13 +0000

To conclude on the total impact of trawling, an extensive mapping of fishing effort and bottom habitat would be necessary. In general, the response of benthic organisms to disturbance differs with substrate, depth, gear, and type of organism. Seabed characteristics of the Barents Sea are scarcely known and the lack of high-resolution maps of benthic habitats and biota is currently the most serious impediment to effective protection of vulnerable habitats from fishing activities.