Discarding in the shrimp fisheries in Skagerrak and the Norwegian Deep (ICES Divs. IIIa and IVa east)

In the Pandalus fisheries in Skagerrak, shrimp are discarded because of being non-marketable, either due to poor landing quality or too small size. However, smaller shrimp of low market value are also discarded (so called high-grading). This is mainly the case in the fisheries which are constrained by TACs and subsequent national quotas. Estimates of the total amount of discards in the shrimp fisheries in IIIa and IVa east are based both on onboard sampling of catches (Denmark and Sweden) and indirect estimates (Norway). In fisheries management in the North Atlantic discarding has become an important issue in recent years. In some countries’ EEZ a ban on discarding has been in force for many years, for instance in Norway. A discard ban is expected to be enforced in EU waters in the near future. It is therefore highly relevant with estimates of the existing discard practices and discard quantities to assess the possible impacts of such measures