Norwegian whalers can catch 1,278 minke whales this year, but fewer and fewer vessels are participating in the catch and the quota will hardly be reached.
Before Christmas, Minister of Fisheries Harald T. Nesvik (FrP/Progress Party) set a catch quota of 1,278 minke whales for 2020 – the same as in 2019 and 2018.
On Tuesday, the Directorate of Fisheries submitted a proposal for regulation of the catch of minke whales at a hearing. The Directorate proposes that the vessels may hunt freely within the total quota. The catch can start April 1st. The Directorate of Fisheries will stop the catch when conditions so require. Last year, the season lasted until September 19th.
The catch result of 429 minke whales last year is the lowest in many years and a decrease from 454 in 2018. The background is, among other things, that only 12 vessels participated in the catch. Earlier in the 2000s, more than 30 boats participated in Norwegian whaling.
According to the Directorate of Fisheries, the industry is undergoing a generational shift, and the need for recruitment does not seem to be adequately addressed, the consultation letter states.
There are more than 100,000 minke whales in Norwegian waters. Calculation models prepared by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) form the basis for determining the quota.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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