The Norwegian Fishery for Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) in Skagerrak and the Norwegian Deep (ICES Divisions IIIa and IVa east), 1970-2009

The resource of Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) in the North Sea and Skagerrak is assessed as three separate stocks: 1) the Skagerrak-Norwegian Deep stock which is largely confined to ICES Divs. IIIa and IVa east, 2) the Fladen Ground stock in ICES Div. IVa west, and 3) the Farn Deep stock in ICES Div. IVb west. Vessels from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and UK exploit this resource. The Norwegian fishery is catch regulated by individual vessel quotas. Information on the Norwegian shrimp fishery (fleet, gear, and prices) was updated. The recording of twin trawl use is incomplete in the logbooks. In order to correct the logbooks regarding the use of single and twin trawls, interviews have been made with ship owners identified from logbooks each year since 2007. Thirteen vessels reported the use of twin trawls in 2009.