Broad support for reduction of effort in Faroese fisheries

Fisheries Minister Bjørn Kalsø has received broad political support for his proposed amendments to fisheries regulations for the 2008 fishing year (1 September to 31 August).

On 16 August the Faroese Parliament unanimously adopted the proposed 2% reduction in fishing days for all vessels fishing valuable demersal (groundfish) stocks - mainly cod, haddock and saithe – in the 200 mile Faroese fisheries zone.

 

There is also widespread political support for Minister Kalsø’s plans to extend the existing system of seasonal and area closures in order to further enhance protection of spawning and juvenile cod. These include the closure of most of the Faroe Bank to fisheries all year to protect its unique cod stock, as well as a further reduction in fishing days of at least 15% in remaining parts of the Faroe Bank. Area and seasonal closures, as well as minimum mesh size requirements to prevent catches of undersize fish, and unwanted by-catch in other fisheries, are an integral part of the Faroese management system.

 

“We are using the full range of management tools in our system, in particular to address current concerns about the apparent decline of cod stocks around the Faroes.” said Mr Kalsø. “Our goal is to ensure long-term sustainability in all sectors of our fishing industry. We need to apply our system in a way that keeps all our fish stocks healthy and productive, without compromising the flexibility of the effort system as a whole.” 

 

Demersal fishery in Faroese waters is a mixed fishery, targeting a number of species and stocks that occur together in the same ecosystem. There is broad consensus in the Faroes that an effort–based approach - rather than quotas in tonnage for single species and stocks - is the most responsible and effective approach to managing mixed fisheries in Faroese waters. Vessels are grouped according to size and gear type, and each group is allocated a set number of fishing days per year, which are divided among the vessels. One of the distinct advantages of the system is that it removes the incentive to discard fish. All fish taken under the system is legitimate catch with a market value. This also greatly improves the reliability of catch data.  

 

Since the Faroese management system was first introduced in 1996, the total number of fishing days has been reduced by over 20% to take account of likely increases in over all fishing efficiency as a result of improvements in vessel and gear technology. The total number of vessels has also decreased.

 

Despite these reductions over time, Minister Kalsø recognises that there is still a need to better define and evaluate fishing efficiency. He is therefore setting up an expert committee to examine in detail what changes in efficiency have taken place in the fisheries since the effort system was first introduced a decade ago.

 

“Fisheries are the very lifeblood of the Faroes. We must therefore constantly work to ensure the right balance between the ecological sustainability of our fisheries resources and the economic sustainability of the industry that relies on them. I am confident that our management system is both robust and flexible enough for us to make any further adjustments necessary in years to come to maintain this vital balance,” said Mr Kalsø.