Removed More than 100 Tons of Fishing Equipment from the Sea

In August and September, the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries has cleared the seabed between Ålesund and Svalbard for more than 100 tons of lost and abandoned fishing equipment. Losing fishing equipment is not forbidden, however, not reporting the loss is a criminal offence.

The Fisheries Directorate says fishermen have been most cooperative during the cleanup and that fishermen in general are good at reporting loss of gear.

A total of 2,669 traps and nearly 700 nets of various kinds have been removed. More than 11,000 kilograms of fish were caught in the nets removed, and more than 15,000 crabs.