Norway has received approval for an increased 2023 quota for "mackerel sturgeon" – better known as bluefin tuna – with its total quota for the species rising 23 percent to 368 metric tons (MT).
Norway may transfer 15 MT of unfished quota from 2022 to 2023, which means that Norwegian fishermen can fish up to 383 MT iof Atlantic bluefin tuna in 2023.
“Mackerel sturgeon are seriously back in Norwegian waters, and as a coastal state to this stock that has now taken over our nutrient-rich sea areas, we are continuously working to increase the Norwegian quota. I am therefore very pleased that we have received approval for more quota in 2023,” Norway Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran said.
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) adopted a new management procedure for bluefin throughout the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, setting new science-based harvest control rules. A stock calculation for the next three years resulted in an increase in the total quota.
The total quota for Atlantic bluefin tuna increased from 36,000 MT this year to 40,570 MT in 2023. Norway's share of the total quota is currently 0.91 percent.
Norway has also received approval for a proposal to carry out a pilot project for the live storage of bluefin tuna over three years, beginning in 2023. The purpose of this live storage is to be able to distribute raw material to the market over time, and to improve and preserve the quality of the fish. The pilot project will form the basis for future regulations if the project is successful.
“Over the past year, we have worked to put in place regulations for the live storage of mackerel sturgeon, and we have now received approval from ICCAT to carry out a pilot project for the concept," Skjæran said. "Over several years, we have received input from the industry that live storage of mackerel sturgeon can be a way to achieve greater value creation and to facilitate an improvement in the market situation. We are very satisfied that we have now taken a step forward in creating the conditions for greater value creation and activity of our fishing resources.”
Photo courtesy of Guido Montaldo/Shutterstock
