Capture based aquaculture and sustainability

Abstract

The seasonal fisheries in Norway is both a blessing and a curse. The fisheries management have for decades tried to find a way to move some of the seasonal pressure from the traditional season to other parts of the year. This have been done with different levels of success. The duty system is an example of one of the tools that have been tried to secure the supply of fresh fish for the land industry in periods of the year when the supply traditionally is low. The newest tool is capture based aquaculture. This tool aims to move some of the fish to the off season by catching it alive, storing it and producing it when the market prices are higher. To get this system going the fisheries management set aside a quota bonus for the vessel participating in the CBA system This bonus works as a strong incentive for the fishing vessels. This thesis aims to explore if CBA can contribute to social and economic sustainability in coastal societies. This is done by interviewing owners of fishing vessels, representatives from the industry, representatives from research and management and representatives from the society. The thesis shows that the main factor for succeeding with creating social and economic sustainability is coastal societies through CBA is to offer a way for fishing vessels to increase their profits. Either by getting a higher price from the market or by using incentives, such as the quota bonus. This is described in more detail throughout the thesis.