Norway’s reluctance to discuss and set bilateral quota agreements with the European Union is effectively denying the bloc’s fishing fleets access to around 50,000 metric tons of cod, according to one major EU fishing company.
There are essentially two main cod quotas to discuss between the EU and Norway: catches within the Norwegian exclusive economic zone (NEZ), and the controversial Svalbard cod quota.
The Svalbard Zone is a protected zone of 200 nautical miles around the coastlines of Svalbard, which although in international waters, under the Svalbard Paris Treaty falls under the stewardship of Norway.
