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NORWAY and Russian have agreed new fishing catch limits for the Barents Sea for next year - and the quota for cod for the two countries is a massive 751,000 tons- an increase of eight per cent.
The fact that they are able to authorise such a generous increase reflects the healthy state of the cod stock in that region. The total quota for North East Atlantic haddock has been set at 318,000 tons, in accordance with stock management rules and the recommendation from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The new haddock quota represents an increase of five per cent on the 2011 figure. The capelin quota has been agreed at 320,000 tons, down by 16 per cent while the Greenland halibut catch rises from 15,000 tons to 18,000 tons. The two countries have also agreed on new technical fishing regulatory measures for fishing Greenland halibut.
The decision to increase the cod and haddock quota will be welcomed throughout Europe and especially on the Humber which has been trying to persuade Norway to send more fish to the region. The Norwegian Seafood Export Council recently announced a major sales drive into the UK, targeting both retailers and fish friers. The message they will be taking is that Norwegian fish not only comes from cold clean waters, but the stock is in a very healthy state, borne out by the latest quota increase.In recent weeks Norwegian researchers have been reporting large healthy quantities of cod and haddock far north in the Barents Sea
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