A new report from Fiskeriforskning shows that the fishermen receive between 30 and 40 % higher prices for the fish when they deliver live catches to the industry on land.
However, of an annual cod quota of ca. 200,000 tonnes, only 1,500 tonnes are delivered live. So, what needs to be done to get more boats to deliver the cod live?
Low quotas - high interest
The interest for catching and delivering live fish is greatest in periods with low quotas. Catching the fish live is more labour-intensive than with traditional methods.
"Therefore, the boats that have the most quotas will have too little time for live catches", explains Senior Scientist Bent Dreyer.
Transport of live fish also requires more space on board the boat. Thus, the fishermen cannot deliver as much cod at a time as they can with traditional methods.
High quality and better profits
Not only will the fishermen earn more if the cod is delivered live, but the industry on land can also increase its profits because they can deliver better quality products to the market.
Slaughtering on land allows more time and better opportunities to fillet the fish pre rigor. It is also possible to prevent injuries to the fish that are caused by some of the fishing gear. And good quality pays well.
The report is prepared on assignment from the Wild Fish Forum in the Norwegian Fishermen's Association, and the work is financed by the Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund.
Fangstbasert akvakultur rapport 1906