opinions
Arne O. Holm says:
Get the Crooks Convicted, for Heaven’s Sake!
Comment (Myre, Northern Norway): The fishing industry keeps coastal Norway alive. But it also nurtures the rumors of an industry characterized by off-the-books income and crime. After a few decades of serious accusations, this is still a central topic of discussion when the industry gathers.
Published
This is a comment written by a member of the editorial staff. All views expressed are the writer's own.
As it did in Myre, Northern Norway, last week.
There, the fishing industry and politicians met for the Skrei Conference, an arena that debates everyday life in the North to a higher degree than most other conferences.
Modest role
At other conferences, or in documents and reports about what is happening in the North, the fishing industry plays a surprisingly modest role. Such as in the total preparedness white paper, in which the fisheries are hardly mentioned, according to the industry organisations.
The same criticism is directed at the government's "Plan for Norway".
The Skrei Conference at Myre delves into an industry where the challenges are significant. Reduced quotas and climate change threaten the fisheries and thus the coastal communities. In other words, there is plenty to discuss when politics and industry meet.
It's alarming that crime becomes the main topic at a fisheries conference.
It is therefore surprising and frightening to observe a problem that the industry can solve entirely on its own, without help from anyone, become the most important topic at the conference. The discussion was initiated under the title 'Tricks threaten trust,' which speaks volumes about the situation.
Crime in the fish trade has become so extensive that it received its own chapter when the National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim) presented its threat assessment at the end of last year.
The threats exist, according to Økokrim, both within the aquaculture industry and in connection with the capture of wild fish.
Serious violations of the law
There are, again, according to Økokrim, 'serious violations of the law throughout the entire value chain in the industry. From capture to landing within the fishing industry.'
The methods used are quite clear, if we are to believe Økokrim and the director of the Directorate of Fisheries, Frank Bakke-Jensen, who himself was on stage at Myre.
Misreporting and underreporting of catches, overfishing, and quota fraud. Most of it, according to the fisheries director, happens at the dock when the fish is landed. Agreements between the fisherman and the buyer make it possible to hide how much fish is actually landed, which in turn threatens the stock. In addition to ensuring that large sums are funnelled outside the tax system.
"Parts of the catch are also driven past the scales and not recorded anywhere," according to Frank Bakke Jensen.
He added that the Directorate of Fisheries receives a lot of tips.
"Fortunately, it is a talkative industry."
Yet, the tips are not enough to stop a crime that, year after year, threatens the industry's reputation, in addition to threatening the cod stock because the control authorities do not have a complete overview of how much fish is actually brought ashore.
Or not enough resources to follow up on the alleged flood of tips.
For someone outside the industry, it is completely incomprehensible that this situation can continue decade after decade.
Fortunately, it's a talkative industry.
Because this is not about a complicated set of rules that can lead to deviations. Deviations are not criminal. These are deliberate actions to cheat the public out of resources, both at sea and in our shared funds.
Remarkable
Therefore, I both understand and support one of the giants in the Norwegian fishing industry, chairman of Primex Norway AS and Holmøy Maritime, Eirik Sørdahl, when he concluded his speech at one of the events in Myre with this powerful statement:
"Get the crooks convicted, for heaven's sake," said a clearly frustrated Sørdahl.
It is, to say the least, remarkable that such an important industry has to spend year after year on what it can easily deal with itself. Stocks, quotas, fisheries negotiations, climate, and regulations are complicated issues that require cooperation from many parties.
Stopping the criminal part of the industry can be done on its own. Without calling on the authorities.
