Regulations Control and Enforcement: The West-Nordic Countries

Abstract

"The paper will give an overview of the regulations and enforcement principles in the West-Nordic countries e.g. Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Norway. It will be illustrated how the different structures of the fisheries is reflected in the management regimes and also in the systems of control and enforcement. The organization of the enforcement system will be presented, including the main bodies and their responsibilities. The purpose of the enforcement systems and the means and resources applied, will be discussed. The combined expenses of management and enforcement of modern fisheries are substantial and has to be related to its achievements. Over the years the focus of control and enforcement has gradually shifted from concentrating on technicalities like mesh size and over to a focus on measures like closure of areas and discard ban. The reasoning behind this change of focus will be outlined. The role of sanctions against violations of the rules is an important question that will be treated in the paper.

"The enforcement and control systems should also be seen from the fishermen's point of view. What role, if any should be given to the fishermen in control and enforcement matters? Is there a role for the fishermen's organizations in control matters? These questions will be answered in the paper.

"Finally, by comparing the Nordic countries the paper presents some general conclusions and policy recommendations."