Tejnefiskeri efter jomfruhummer. Et litteraturstudie

The Danish quota for Norway lobster is fished by use of trawl. In the past 5 years, between 10 and 70 % of the quota has not been exploited. This is partly on account of restricted quotas on some of the other species that are targeted in this mixed species fishery. Furthermore, in order to protect cod, trawling is banned in some areas including areas known as Norway lobster grounds. Creels are highly selective gears both with regards to sizes and species and they lead to high quality landings. Compared to trawling, stationary gears such as creels also have much less impact on the benthic habitat and reduce fuel consumption. Commercial creeling for Norway lobster is for example found in Sweden, Norway, Scotland, and the Faroe Islands. However, all available literature report low catch rates and the viability of the fishery therefore depends upon fuel savings and the opportunity to achieve a premium price reflecting the high quality of the landings.
The fleet consists of vessels up to 12 m with a crew of one to two man. Working with creels requires a spacious deck and an advantageous arrangement in order to set and haul a large number of creels. Creeling for Norway lobster is seasonal and off season either other species are targeted (e.g. common lobster and edible crab) or the vessel is rigged for trawling or set netting.
The design of creels varies but generally they have two entrances and entice Norway lobster to the creel by use of bait e.g. salted herring. The low catch rates are primarily due to:
• Norway lobster have difficulty locating the entrance.
• Norway lobster are aggressive and the first ones being caught displays aggressive behavior towards newcomers.
• The creel is an alien element on the seabed and in itself might scare Norway lobster from entering.
The design of the creels and the type of bait contribute to the high selectivity and low by-catch rates of the fishery. It has thus been estimated that approximately 24 % of the catch by weight is discarded in the Swedish fishery and of this 56 % is Norway lobster below minimum landing size and 16 % is juvenile cod. The catch as well as the by-catch is generally undamaged and in a good condition and due to short handling time on deck, survival of the discard is expected to be high. As the creels are very species selective, the risk of lost creels continuing to fish (ghost – fishing) is regarded to be low.
Creeling for Norway lobster is considered to have potential as a commercial fishery in Danish waters if the catch rates are optimized and a market for the high quality live Norway lobsters is ensured