Suggests Changes to Coastal Greenland Halibut Fisheries in Greenland

The Greenlandic government, Naalakkersuisut, is working on introducing individually tradable quotas for the coastal Greenland halibut fisheries. The reform is expected to generate revenue for the treasury of DKK 71 million in 2023. That is reported by Sermitsiaq. 

Today's arrangement is called "Olympic fishing," where all dinghy fishermen fish freely until a total quota has been caught. The Norwegian Greenland halibut fishery also practices such an arrangement, although with a maximum limit per boat.

In a new plan, the government reveals how it works to change the blue Greenland fishery for dinghies. It is suggested that far too much labor is tied up than what is necessary to fish the desired quantity. This means greater earnings for the individual fisherman and a great deal of pressure on the politicians to hand out quotas. This pressure has contributed to the coastal halibut fishery catching far more than the biological recommendations.

As earnings will be able to increase with the new system, Naalakkersuisut expects to be able to adapt the quotas to the biological councils. More robust coastal fishing will also be subject to a so-called resource interest tax, and more money will, therefore, also come in as tax.