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Norway North Sea saithe

Certified as sustainable on 14 June 2008

Summary

Species:  North Sea saithe (Pollachius virens)
Location:  The North Sea, ICES area IV.
Fishing methods:  Trawl, gill-net, purse-seine, Danish seine and handline (including electronic winches – multiple hooks with lures).
Number of fisheries: 1

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Do you source fish from this fishery?

Show your customers how the fish is caught – download and display this case study from our Net Benefits report.
Download Fishers' stories - Net Benefits 2009 - Norway North Sea saithe and Norway East Arctic saithe(PDF, 200kb)

Commercial market

Most saithe is exported to the Caribbean and South America, West- and Eastern Europe.

More about Norway North Sea saithe

North Sea saithe is found along the western coast of Norway in depths of up to 400m. Young saithe are mainly distributed inshore in sheltered bays and coastal waters along the west and south coast of Norway, the coast of Shetland and the coast of Scotland. Older saithe gradually migrate at around 3 years of age from the coastal areas to the northern part of the North Sea, mainly along the shelf edge, where the feeding grounds of the adult part of the stock are situated. Fish mature at between 4 and 6 years of age, and spawning takes place in January-March at about 200 m depth along the Northern Shelf edge and the western edge of the Norwegian deeps. When saithe exceed 60-70 cm in length the diet changes from plankton to fish.

More about the fishing methods

In the Norwegian fishery, which at present accounts for 52% of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC), various gears are used. On average over the last 10 years about 85% of the Norwegian catch originates from bottom trawl, 9% from purse seine, 4% from gill net and 2% from other conventional gears (long line, Danish seine and hand line). The gill net fishery is most intense during winter and the purse seine in the summer months while the trawl fishery takes place more evenly all year around.

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