Factsheet About The Use Of Costal Zone

FACTSHEET October 2009

A factsheet on aquaculture’s use of marine areas, development and preservation of natural resources.

The

Costal zone

Significant potential for increased food production

90,000 km 2 of marine area within the sea boundary The Norwegian coastline is 21,000 km long. This is equal to a distance longer than half way around the equator. Within the sea boundary is 90,000 km2 of marine area. Norway has access to a potential food production area that is the same size as the agricultural area in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark put together.

Photo: NSEC

Salmon farming has grown significantly over the last 10 years. During the same period the number of locations in use has fallen by 40%. The trend shows a clear reduction in the number of locations used for aquaculture. At the end of 2008 there were a total of 1038 locations used in the production of salmon and trout in Norway. There were 342 locations approved for other farmed fish species, while the shellfish industry had 520

locations. The development for shellfish and marine species is due to a real decline in activity, while for salmon the development is a consequence of a restructuring of the industry with fewer, but larger locations as a result. This development takes place at the same time as we see a clear increase in the production of salmon. On the next page there is an overview of the permits granted to marine locations for salmon. Not all locations are in use at the same time.

The natural conditions create an extremely good basis for operating effective aquaculture-based food production. Many and varied interests related to the coastal zone demand good and updated coastal zone planning. Some 276 of the country’s 430 municipalities border on these marine areas. And as many as 80% of the Norwegian population live less than 10 km from the coast. The coast has always been strongly influenced by human activity, and has historically been of major significance to the Norwegian society as a source of food and basis for development and welfare. A living coast offers huge opportunities, but also challenges. There are many interests related to the coastal areas. These range from protective interests and recreation, to fisheries, aquaculture, oil and gas extraction, windmill parks, transport and tourism.

96% of the country’s coastal municipalities have their own coastal zone plans At the end of 2008, 96% of the coastal municipalities had drawn up their own coastal zone plans. Good planning through open processes reduces possible conflicts between different user interests and creates a basis for co-existence. The fact that a municipality has allocated approved areas for aquaculture, gives the fish farmers the possibility of long-term planning and an optimum location structure. It is decisive for the future of the industry that steps are taken to ensure that the most suitable areas for aquaculture, and thus for the environment, can be put into use.

Aquaculture companies that wish to use marine areas for fish farming must submit an application. The application is assessed carefully and by several bodies before approval is granted. Both the regulations and plans form the basis for these assessments. The locations can only be cleared if they are considered to be environmentally suitable. The authorities balance the interests for an area with special emphasis on the applicant’s requirements, whether other undertakings are planned for the area or whether there are special protective interests in the area. Furthermore the applicant must have the required permits related to food production legislation, pollution and waste management. The regulations regarding ports and waters and for rivers and groundwater must also be assessed.

Protection and use A number of fjord and coastal areas are subject to nature conservation or are planned to be protected. There are different protective aims and any conflict with the aquaculture industry will thus vary. If all provisional protection plans are implemented, major parts of the coast will be off limits. It is therefore important that protection plans are coordinated and the consequences are examined. The need for and effect of the plans must be thoroughly assessed. Protective measures must be in proportion to the protective aim, and the opportunity for concurrent use and protection must always form part of the assessment. Protection that has no effect must cease. The best protection takes place through a sensible use of our many and rich resources.

Other sources The Norwegian Directory of Fisheries: www.fiskeridir.no The Norwegian Coastal Administration: www.kystverket.no

Number of marine locations

Strict assessment procedure before permission is granted

Development in the number of locations for salmon and trout in Norway, 1999.2008. Source: Norwegian Directory of Fisheries/FHL

Regarding the regulations all locations must have a rest period or fallow time of at least 2 months between the end of one production and the start of a new production. This is both to secure the environment under the net cages and to reduce any infection pressure in an area before new fish are introduced. In some cases it is also desirable for the fish farmer to have an alternative area for newly released fish cleared if the infection conditions in another area mean that it should not be used for a time. The trend is also in the direction of fish farmers bringing production together in larger, well-studied and more suitable locations. This is a positive development with regard to the use of areas. In practice fewer, but larger locations lead to less average area being used for each licence, and to the area used being monitored even more closely to prevent negative effects on the fish and the environment. Negative environmental impact generally affects the fish and thus the fish farmer first. Being pro-active in choosing the most suitable locations is thus a pre-requisite when there is to be a large amount of fish in a location. Today the fish farmer has far better

conditions and methods to be able to select suitable fish farming locations. There has also been a development in the use of larger fish farming net cages. This has led to fewer net cages in the locations, even if the number of fish and thus production has increased. Emphasis is put on organising the facility so that all net cages have good water flow. In practice this has resulted in more standardised facilities and more uniform equipment. In total this provides a positive and “tidy” visual impression of the fish farming location. Since in many places the locations are also moved out from land with feed silos in compact facilities right by the net cages, an increasingly smaller area is used on land for land bases and feed storage. This, together with the restructuring and coordination of locations will lead to the planned continued growth in seafood production in Norway not being synonymous with greater area use. Over the last 30 years the aquaculture industry has shown that it is possible to produce large amounts of healthy food from a relatively small area.

This factsheet is published by The Norwegian Seafood Federation (FHL). Comprehensive information about the use of marine areas and other relevant topics can be found in FHL’s Environmental Report for 2008. FHL is the largest employer organisation for the seafood industry and covers the entire value chain, from fjord to table. FHL is affiliated with NHO. See also www.fhl.no/miljo