Institute of Marine Research: There is widespread fishing in protected sea areas in Norway
According to the Institute of Marine Research, widespread fishing is taking place in several of the sea areas that Norway has protected.
Among the fishing activity that takes place in protected Norwegian waters, the Institute points to bottom trawling as especially problematic, as it can destroy the seabed for many years and lead to enormous greenhouse gas emissions, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reports.
According to international standards, areas where bottom trawling is taking place can’t be called protected at all, the Institute of Marine Research notes.
“We are sending the wrong signal about how well Norway protects its seas and coastal areas. We need to be more honest. Norway has nowhere near as strict of a protection level as we communicate internationally,” researcher Alf Ring Kleiven at the Institute of Marine Research says.
Fishing allowed in protected areas?
A review by NRK shows that it is allowed to fish in all of Norway’s protected sea areas.
Nevertheless, the Norwegian Environment Agency believes that they have reported the protected areas in the category that best describes the protection.
The Ministry of Climate and the Environment states that they have not had time to study the report from the Institute of Marine Research but does not rule out that they must consider whether things can be done differently.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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