The Norwegian government has set up a new committee to review the obligations tied to cod trawler licences, with the stated aim of improving the so-called pliktsystemet, which requires parts of the trawler fleet to supply raw material to local processors.
Fisheries and Oceans Minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss said the current system is not meeting its purpose. “The aim of the pliktsystemet is to ensure a stable supply of raw material that can support a profitable seafood industry and secure settlement and employment in the coastal communities that benefit from it.
“Today’s system contributes too little to this. That is why we are now setting up a broad committee to look at both the economic and social aspects. We need to turn over every stone to make the pliktsystemet work better,” said Sivertsen Næss.
The system covers around half of Norway’s cod trawler fleet and is built around three obligations:
Tilbudsplikt (Obligation to Offer)
This rule requires companies holding cod trawler licences under the scheme to first offer a share of their landings, particularly cod, to specific processing plants in northern Norway. The fish must be offered to a pre-defined list of plants at market price. If the plants do not take up the offer within a set deadline, the vessel is free to sell elsewhere. The aim is to secure a steady flow of raw material into local industry.
Bearbeidingsplikt (Obligation to Process)
For certain plants, at least 75 percent of the cod purchased under tilbudsplikt must be processed locally. This may involve filleting, salting, drying or other forms of added value. The requirement is designed to support local jobs and ensure that more of the value from the resource stays in coastal communities.
Aktivitetsplikt (Activity Obligation)
Some processing plants are required not only to receive fish but to maintain real and continuous production activity. This measure is intended to prevent plants from lying idle and to safeguard employment and local economic activity. In some cases, where a trawler company and a processing plant share the same ownership, exemptions have been granted under the Participation Act.
The committee will include representatives from industry organisations, labour unions, and regional authorities. It has been tasked with examining how the system can better ensure that fish subject to tilbudsplikt is landed and processed in coastal communities, as well as assessing how structural quota time limits affect quotas linked to delivery obligations.
The issue has been debated for years, with critics arguing that the rules have not delivered enough in terms of local processing and employment. The minister said the new review should deliver “concrete proposals for improvements that balance different considerations and strengthen both the legitimacy and the effect of the pliktsystemet.”
The committee is expected to deliver its report within a year of its first meeting.
