‘Puzzling criticism’ – Norwegians deliver robust response to SFA concern

THE OWNER of the Norwegian trawler at the centre of a row over access to Scottish fishing grounds has insisted it has done nothing wrong.

Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) expressed their frustrations with the growing scale of Norwegian fishing in UK waters yesterday (Wednesday).

At the heart of its frustrations is the 70-metre Havstrand, which landed several hundred tonnes of saithe from around Shetland in August.

While acknowledging that no laws had been broken, the SFA was furious about the Havstrand reportedly landing more than half of Shetland’s saithe quota in one trip.

The Havstrand was said to have landed 787 tonnes of saithe during a fishing trip around Shetland on 17 August this year.

The SFA’s executive officer Daniel Lawson said urgent government action was needed to better balance fishing access arrangements between the UK and Norway.

The Havstrand’s catch also represents 12 per cent of the UK’s entire saithe quota for the North Sea in 2026, he said.

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However, in a response to Norwegian online news site KystogFjord, shared with Shetland News, Havstrand owner Janne Grethe Strand Aasnæs said the figure quoted was incorrect.

She said 606 tonnes of round saithe were landed on that trip.

“I have no comment beyond the fact that this is a quota Norway is entitled to fish,” she added.  “It is within the regulations and the share allocated to Norwegian vessels.”

Managing director of the Norwegian fishing vessel owners’ organisation Fiskebåt, Audun Maråk, described the criticism as “somewhat puzzling”.

“I can understand the frustration if they believe they have been allocated too small a share of the total catch,” he said, adding: “but that does not provide grounds for criticising Norwegian fishing activities.”

The SFA said that local vessels sized at a maximum of around 28 metres were disadvantaged against Norwegian freezer trawlers that could be as much as 80 metres in length.

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“I really don’t understand why the size of the vessels should be grounds for criticism,” Maråk added, saying that vessels from the UK fishing in Norwegian waters are of a similar size.

“We operate in accordance with the agreements concluded with the UK. Fisheries cooperation and the regulations that have been in place have remained stable.

“Norway and the UK are important allies when it comes to managing fish stocks, both in the whitefish and pelagic sectors.”

Each country is currently permitted to catch up to 30,000 tonnes of whitefish in the other’s waters.

However in 2025 Norwegian vessels caught 22,581 tonnes of whitefish in UK waters, compared with just 9,496 tonnes caught by UK vessels in Norwegian waters, according to the SFA.

See our story from yesterday here: 

Anger after Norwegian trawler lands half of Shetland’s saithe quota in one trip