Quota report The fishing industry and the organization of fishing quotas in Norway and submitted on 12 January. Fishing quotas determine, among other things, which boats are allowed to fish, as well as what, when and where they are allowed to fish.
Negotiations have now taken place in Storting. While SV, Rødt and MDG favored more redistribution to smaller boats, parties on the right opposed taking quotas away from larger ones.
– Fisheries Minister Cecile Mirseth (AP) says the agreement confirms that it was a matter of great importance to the government.
He believes the distribution of fishing quotas is now fair and predictable.
In addition, he says, the very small coastal fleet still plays a special role in the quota system that secures settlement, processing and employment in coastal districts.
Different considerations
The Center Party says they had to prioritize between different views.
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– We have clarified the necessary questions that affected the fishing industry. I would like to commend the parties for their willingness to reach an agreement on this issue, says Mayor Wilfred Nordlund.
Both Frp, Venstre and KrF emphasize that it is important to have a broad agreement to develop a forecast for the fishing industry.
Alfred Bjorlow, the Liberal Party's business policy spokesman, believes the government has now found solutions to better secure jobs in the sea fishing fleet than those presented in January.
He points out that now it is the sea fishing fleet that uses Norway's third country quota in other countries' zones, and conventional sea fishing vessels are kept out of the internal redistribution of quota between large and small vessels in the coastal fishing fleet.
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Rasmus Hansen of MDG. Photo: Annika Byrd / NTB / NTB
– A betrayal
However, MDG's Rasmus Hansson reacts strongly to this.
– He says that the Conservative Party and the government are united against massive demands from coastal fishermen and the fishing industry in Finnmark and Troms.
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Hanson believes the government has failed. He believes the deal with the franchise ensures more fish for the offshore fishing fleet, less emissions and less settlement along the coast.
– Unbelievable
SV vice-president Torgeir Knag Fylkesnes says it is “unthinkable” that the ruling parties have gone to the right and accuses the government of breaking promises.
– They said they would reverse development, reverse centralization, and fishing rights would end up in fewer hands.
Now they're doing the opposite, says Filgesnes.
– It's unbelievable, he says.
– A reinforcement
The Fisheries Minister completely disagreed with the criticism.
– In fact, it means strengthening the smallest coastal fleet. The agreement also included the introduction of ownership restrictions on the coastal fleet. It's a good precautionary policy, says Mirseth, which will prevent growth where allocations are pooled in too few hands.
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Fylkesnes has warned the government against moving to the right. He has already made it clear that this could have repercussions in cooperating with SV.
– This case is more important for SV than Center Party, Labor Party. I think they know that too. It also means we prioritize accordingly. So not meeting on something that's very important to us will have consequences for cooperation, Filkesnes said. Class struggle In the month of March.
– The door melted again
Rødt believes the government is failing miserably and reacts to the fact that they are not allowed to participate in the negotiations.
– It's incredibly disappointing that the government closed the door on us and desperately tried to win a majority with the right, rather than following the signals of their own voters in the general election, says Geir Jørgensen, the party's fisheries policy spokesman.
He believes the deal does not respond to the National Audit Office's criticism of fisheries policy and will not create fishing facilities in fishing villages in northern Norway or more activity at sea.
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