Norway moves quickly to draft offshore fish farming framework
Proposals for a permitting regime for offshore fish farming in Norway have been published for public consultation.
After winning power in last autumn’s election, the Labour and Centre parties that form Norway’s minority coalition government promised an offshore licensing system that would be separate to the “traffic light” aquaculture regulation closer to the coast.
“We said that we will develop a separate licensing regime for aquaculture with strict requirements for sustainability and coexistence between different maritime industries,” said fisheries and marine affairs minister Bjørnar Skjæran in a press release. “We have accelerated this work, and now we are sending out for consultation a proposal for a separate permit regime.”
Identification of areas
The proposal is the first to be sent for consultation after an inter-ministerial working group submitted the report “Aquaculture at sea - new technology new areas” in December 2018. The consultation note builds on this report. The proposal includes the overall regime for the identification and facilitation of areas for offshore aquaculture, as well as the introduction of a separate licensing regime.
Experience shows that it is possible to establish farming further at sea, but that the authorities must now facilitate this, said Skjæran. At the same time, it is important to find out how to effectively handle challenges that may accompany such an operation and set a clear framework for it.
Outside the traffic light zone
The proposed permit regime will apply outside the production areas in the traffic light system. On the basis of a professional recommendation from the Institute of Marine Research, it is proposed in the consultation to draw the outer boundaries of the production areas closer to the coastline.
“The fact that the outer borders are drawn somewhat closer to land will not have any real consequences for the aquaculture players, as there is currently no aquaculture production outside the proposed borders,” said Skjæran.
The individual allocation round for permits at sea is proposed to take place through separate regulations, and such allocation regulations are not part of the proposal being consulted upon.
