Greenlands Coastal Cod Fisheries May Collapse

Cod fisheries near the Greenlandic coast may be facing collapse due to overfishing, according to a Department of Fisheries, Trapping and Farming report to Greenland’s self-rule authorities, Sermitsiaq writes.

The report states that Greenland’s fisheries policy has been characterized by being soft on the industry. An increasing number of fishing licenses have been granted and quotas have been set much higher than what has been considered biologically sustainable, and the fish has become smaller.

The Naalakkersuisut, the self-rule government, sets the quotas. The Naalakkersuisut has decided that the department report will be submitted to the Fisheries commission, which will then issue its recommendations.