The FIMAGLOW project is a Nordic project with the aim to study possible drivers and impacts of global warming on Arctic fisheries. Two workshops has been held, serving to identify the relevant set of institutions and people, updating the research community on on-going research projects and initiatives in this realm, and pointing to some critical issues for further research. The material presented in the workshops is collected in this report, which hopefully then may serve as a stepping stone for further explorations of this important issue. A web site for the FIMAGLOW program has been set up and is available at the URL: http://fimaglow.maremacentre.com. The website includes program information and tentative programs for the workshops. MaReMA Centre at Norwegian College of Fisheries Science is organizing the program, Alf Håkon Hoel and Arne Eide being the project managers.

The conference was organised by the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. A separate Workshop on Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, also financed by the NCM and organised by Technical University of Denmark (DTU), was linked to the conference (www.NordicRAS.net). Together, these two consecutive events formed the Aquaculture Forum. The conference brought together 125 participants from thirteen different European countries. There was broad representation from the aquaculture sector in Europe: central and local administrations, research institutes, universities, industry and a range of other organisations.

In the last decades Nordic countries have been implementing quota markets and similar instruments to manage mainly the economic performance of their fisheries. Coming from a historical situation dominated by owner-operated fishing units closely connected to their supporting communities, market-based fisheries manage-ment plays a role in promoting company-organised fishing units, non-fisher owner-ship and new social relations. Introducing market-mechanisms to distribute the lim-ited marine resources is therefore not just a change in the technical regulation. It is an active engagement in social change. The publication reviews the Nordic experiences with market-based fisheries management and discusses the implications for managers and future recruitment.

Nordic fisheries at a crossroad explores how Nordic small-scale fisheries can develop to promote high value creation and product specialization. By looking at recent developments among small-scale but land-based food producers we suggest specialization and dedication as the main development strategies. The central notion is to break away from the price-competitive globalised fish markets and develop new products or distribution models. To succeed in this, there is a need for substantive and coordinated efforts to bridge the gap between conventional logics and the new development logics, between supply and demand. The vision should be to develop viable and composite markets for high quality and specialty fish products through dedication and specialization. Markets that go beyond the local and reach supermarkets and consumers on a national and international scale.

This study report analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the procedures which are followed when designating marine Natura 2000 sites and when deciding what fisheries management measures are to be applied.The report identifies weaknesses in the current system and proposes to replace the existing procedures with a single-stringed system structuring the national and international processes in a single regional integrated environmental-fisheries process. This process should include extensive stakeholder involvement.

Stillehavsøstersen en ny art i Norden. Denne rapporten er et supplement til, vår TemaNord Rapport fra 2019: Høsting av Stillehavsøsters. Samlet gir rapportene et oppdatert kunnskapsgrunnlag for å kunne håndtere og utnytte stillehavsøsters i Nordiske kystområder. Vi presenterer et oppdatert utbredelseskart, beskriver og evaluerer verktøy til å beskrive utbredelse, miljøeffekter av høsting og aktuelle metoder for høsting og bekjempelse. Det er utarbeidet felles protokoller for kartlegging og overvåking. Nordiske bedrifter har startet høsting av vill stillehavsøsters. Noen har også «østersturisme». Næringsutviklingen forutsetter en hurtig innovasjon i forvaltningen, for eksempel for å sikre mattryggheten for små partier av skjell, etablere depotbanker, tillatelse til å bruke ulike høsteredskaper, håndtering av avfall og utvikling av bruksområder for østers som ikke går til konsum.

Rapporten "Samfundsøkonomisk afkast af pelagiske fiskerier i Nordøstatlanten" er den mest gennemgribende analyse af det pelagiske fiskeris samfundsøkonomiske afkast indtil videre. Den pelagiske flåde i studiet består af 180 store skibe hjemmehørende i 6 lande. Det samfundsøkonomiske afkast udregnes for hver national flådegruppe. Endvidere estimesres det maksimale samfundsmæssige afkast med en økonomisk bedre fiskeriforvaltning. Afslutningsvis ses på, hvordan det aktuelle samfundsmæssige afkast bliver fordelt i landene mellem rederier, mandskab og samfund. Rapporten er et godt grundlag for diskussion om, hvordan fiskeriforvaltning generelt kan forbedres til samfunets gavn i de enkelte lande. Den danner endvidere gundlag for diskussion af det enkelte lands egen forvaltning sammenlignet med de andres. Ikke mindst er rapporten uundværlig i drøftelser af fordelingen af det samfundsøkonomiske afkast og hvem der bør få del i afkastet fra samfundets ejendom!

Fishery policies are broadly debated in the Nordic countries, focusing on balancing biological concern of fish stocks, economic return to society and coastal communities’ interests. Market Based Fisheries Management is used in several Nordic countries today and is the core of these debates. While it by many is considered a powerful tool that works towards ensuring improved economy of fisheries, it is also considered a controversial tool. This report “Structural Adjustment and Regulation of Nordic Fisheries until 2025” document the effects of Marked Based Management of selected Nordic fisheries, forecast the structural development of these until 2025 under the current alternative fishery management. Nordic lessons on Market Based Fisheries Management are also provided as a basis for the political debate on the future of Nordic Fisheries.

This report contributes to the understanding of how the the socio-economic contribution of Nordic fisheries/aquaculture are affected by the environment and environmental management, with focus on nitrogen. The report contains two case studies of how the socio-economic contribution of Danish/Swedish cod fishery in the Western Baltic Sea are affected by the nitrogen in the sea, and on how salmon growth rates in aquaculture in the Bokna Fiord are affected by nitrogen concentration. A Nordic workshop was held with the title: Fisheries, aquaculture and the marine environment: Environmental challenges and regulation, with focus on nitrogen. The finding of the case studies was presented at the workshop, together with presentations made by invited speakers on the role of nutrients and their management for Nordic fisheries/aquaculture. The discussion at the workshop is summarized in this report.

This work maps out the pay systems used in the fisheries' sectors of Denmark, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Norway. Based on pay information, the evolution of pay and the distribution of resource rents among participating groups are analysed. 

The main findings suggest that Nordic commercial fishers are well paid compared to other occupations. As more efficient fisheries management regimes are introduced fishers remaining in the sector have been able to substantially increase their salaries. Likewise, as fisheries management have evolved so has the rents captured by fishers, vessel owners, quota owners and the public. Calculations show that the introduction of ITQ like management systems have contributed substantially to societal welfare across the Nordic countries.

De vestnordiske fiskeriforvaltninger står overfor og gennemgår aktuelt store og gennemgribende revisioner af landenes fiskerilove og -forvaltning. Spørgsmålene, som revisionerne omfatter, er økonomisk tung og politisk sensitive, hvilket gør, at forvaltningerne står over for krav om at levere de forvaltningsmæssigt rigtige løsninger. Formålet med at opkræve afgifter fra fiskeriet er at sikre en optimal udnyttelse af fiskeressourcerne. Denne rapport er fra en Vestnordisk workshop II, gennemført med midler fra Nordisk Ministerråds fiskerisamarbejde. Rapporten beskriver workshoppens debat om, hvorledes renten i fiskeriet skal beregnes; Hvor stor ressourcerenteafgift opkræves i de forskellige lande?; Hvad har ændret sig i landenes måde at beregne og opkræve fiskeriafgifter på?; Hvordan skal ressourcerenten fastsættes i praksis og hvordan kan man beregne et maksimalt afgiftstryk fra fiskeriet.

Coastal fisheries play a vital role in the marine sector of the Nordic countries and serves as a backbone of the economy of many smaller coastal communities. The coastal fleets usually have a big presence in smaller, more remote fishing villages, supplying local processing companies with raw material. The coastal sector is therefore highly important for regional development, as it represents a significant part of total landings and offers employment for a large number of fishermen, processors and other supporting industries.

This report reviews the coastal sectors in seven Nordic countries, which include almost 20 thousand coastal vessels that are catching close to 900 thousand tonnes a year, valued at 1.2 billion EUR. The fleets are highly variable and the individual countries do each have their unique strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, which are discussed in the report.

This report provides an overview of the Nordic flatfish sector; especially focusing on the significance of Nordic supplies within the North-European flatfish value chains, stock status, catches, values, processing, trade, and markets. The hope is that the overview can provide Nordic stakeholders with better understanding on the flatfish value chains and potentially facilitate increased cooperation, with the aim to increase value of these resources for the Nordic seafood sector. 

The conclusion of the report is that due to the limited share of the Nordic countries in total European and global supply of flatfish, the extremely strong position of the Dutch industry within the value chains, and seemingly modest profit margins throughout these value chains; it is difficult so see how increased Nordic cooperation could contribute to further value creation for the Nordic seafood sector.

Few doubt the impact from human activities on global warming and the negative consequences of rising temperatures for both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Efficient policy instruments are needed to change the development. This report uses empirical models to analyse how CO2 emissions, fleet structure, economic performance, and employment opportunities are affected by imposing management instruments to reduce climate impacts. These instruments include both fisheries management such as larger stock levels and more efficient fleets, and energy policy such as fuel taxes or CO2 trading schemes. To get a representative view of the Nordic fisheries, the analysis contains case studies from all the Nordic countries: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Finland. The fleet segments analysed range from coastal small-scale trap nets to large off-shore trawlers.

Secrecy, or the ability to keep ones identity hidden behind a corporate veil, is a key facilitator of fisheries crime, includingtax crime and other ancillary crimes in the fisheries sector. Secrecy means that investigators “don’t know what they don’t know” and is a fundamental challenge to fisheries crime law enforcement. The focus of this report is the jurisdictions that facilitate secrecy in fisheries, the flags of convenience, and particularly those that are contracted out to private companies, the so-called private flags, and the impact flags of convenience and secrecy has on effective fisheries crime law enforcement.

The report is the result of the joint effort of the INTERPOL Fisheries Crime Working Group (FCWG) and the North Atlantic Fisheries Intelligence Group (NA-FIG), with the input and support of the Secretariats at INTERPOL and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. It was made possible with the financial support of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and the Nordic Council of Ministers.

In this report it is discussed and assessed whether it is feasible to reduce dioxin content of herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea by a period of intensified fishery in the region and if intensified fishery causes adverse environmental effects or affects the stocks of other species like cod, salmon and other pelagic species. The background is the present problems complying with the European Commission limit values for dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in Fish from the Baltic Sea. Also flame retardants and other hazardous substances present an increasing quality problem for the fisheries sector.

Hvordan kan en rettighedsbaseret fiskeriforvaltning udnyttes til gavn for hele samfundet? var det overordnede spørgsmål på et seminar, som blev afholdt i Tórshavn på Færøerne 10. juni 2010. Seminaret var organiseret af Nordisk Ministerråd i samarbejde med Vestnordisk Råd og er en aktivitet i det færøske formandskab for Nordisk Ministerråds fiskerisamarbejde i 2010. Seminarets formål var at belyse og diskutere forskellige former for allokering af fiskerirettigheder til aktørerne, hvor hensynet til samfundets andel af ressourcerenten sættes i fokus. Denne rapport er en opsummering af indlæg fra forskere, fiskeriministrenes kommentarer og åben debat om rettighedsbaseret fiskeri.