What is proposed today could in reality be one of the biggest natural interventions in Norway ever, says leader of the Fiskarlaget, Kåre Heggebø in a comment on the offshore wind plans that were put forward on Tuesday.

The fishing association expressed concern about the plans that NVE’s expert committee put forward on Tuesday.

What is being proposed today could in reality be one of the biggest nature interventions in Norway ever. At the same time, there are still very large gaps in knowledge as to the effects on fisheries, spawning areas, migrations for species such as herring, capelin and cod and the marine environment in general. We must thoroughly review NVE’s work in the future. Until we have established satisfactory knowledge, we assume that a precautionary approach should be taken as a basis, says Heggebø.

We need to know more about how fish, birds and other organisms in the sea react to constantly new human interventions. At the same time, we must facilitate a good coexistence between the marine industries. One move is, of course, to utilise areas that currently have little fishing activity, but this is also a future risk, because changes in sea temperature and influence from us humans can contribute to the fish finding new spawning and migration areas, states Kåre Heggebø in a press release.

Very concerned (Fiskarlaget)