August M
Fisheries cooperation between Norway and Russia — a cornerstone of Barents Sea management for nearly five decades — is under pressure after Norway sanctioned two major Russian fishing companies, triggering retaliation threats and a stall in annual quota negotiations.
According to DR News, this year’s talks on shared quotas for cod, haddock and redfish have yet to reach agreement.
The deadlock follows Norway’s decision to blacklist Murman SeaFood and Norebo JSC due to EU-linked espionage suspicions.
In a Thursday press release cited by DR News, Fisheries Minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss said negotiations have been “more demanding than previously, partly due to the security situation.”
Geir Hønneland of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute told DR News that the two sanctioned companies represent around 40 percent of Russia’s cod quota in the Barents Sea, making the restrictions especially consequential for Moscow’s fleet.
Russian backlash
Tacc reports that Russia responded forcefully. Through comments to the state outlet Tass, fisheries agency head Ilya Shestakov issued Norway an ultimatum: reverse the sanctions within a month or face consequences.
Those included blocking Norwegian vessels from the Russian economic zone and introducing unilateral Russian quotas on the high seas.
Hønneland wrote to DR News that the first threat carries little practical effect because Norwegian fishing in Russia’s zone is almost nonexistent, but the second could be “potentially dramatic.”
High-value catch
Shared stock management in the Barents Sea has long been vital for both countries, with annual quotas reflecting that larger cod typically inhabit Norway’s zone.
DR News reports that the 2025 Northeast Arctic cod quota is set at 340,000 tonnes — a 25 percent reduction from 2024 and the lowest level since 1991.
For Russian fleets, sanctions on Murman SeaFood and Norebo may severely limit access to areas where the most valuable fish are found.
Path to December talks
The dispute has also drawn in the Faroe Islands, which DR News notes are considering mirroring Norway’s sanctions as part of their long-running quota exchange with Russia.
Moscow has rejected all espionage allegations, including in statements from its ambassador to DR.
Norway has announced that fisheries negotiations with Russia will proceed digitally from 8–12 December. “It is in everyone’s interest that this cooperation continues,” Minister Næss said.
Sources: DR News, Tass (via DR News)
