The weekend before the hummer season began, over 225 illegal lobster traps were seized in a major action in Sunnhordland.
‘’Unmarked tools make up most of the seizure. Some of these are illegal lobster traps that the owner has clearly failed to notice, while most of them are simply sloppy” said Ina Giil Solheim, Director of Fisheries, who handed over 20 reviews to the police.
Directorate of Fisheries, Coast Guard, Norwegian Conservation Authority and the police cooperated on the operation. The control areas were selected based on tips, history and knowledge of the areas from, before,and were, among other places, active in Kvinnherad, Tysnes, Stord and Bømlo.
Lobster fishing starts Monday the 1st of October, but several places in the country are forbidden to fish for lobster all year long. This year, the Directorate of Fisheries introduces 16 new areas where it is prohibited. These include Lustrafjorden, Aurlandsfjorden, most of the Sogndalsfjord, and Barsnesfjorden.In an area at Trollsøy in Austevoll, and two areas in Flekkefjord, there is a ban that applies indefinitely.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
