Norwegian marine scientists have advised reopening limited cod fishing near Jan Mayen in 2026, after a two-year full closure. The recommendation sets a strict catch cap of 181 tonnes and limits activity to scientific mapping and fishing only.
The advice comes from the Institute of Marine Research. It has been sent to Norway’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. It is based on a precautionary approach and past catch levels.
Limited fishing after a two-year halt
All cod fishing in the Jan Mayen fisheries zone has been stopped for the past two years. Scientists now say a small, controlled reopening is justified to improve knowledge of the stock.
They stress that total catches must not exceed 181 tonnes. The activity would be carried out as mapping fishing, not commercial fishing.
Possible separate cod stock
According to earlier research, cod larvae have remained around Jan Mayen in some years long enough to suggest the fish could form a separate local stock.
Stock scientist Bjarte Bogstad says advice for Jan Mayen cod must balance conservation needs with the need to use the resource. The quota advice is based on catch data from 2021 to 2023 and follows a precautionary framework.
Mapping the fishing key to monitoring
Data on cod at Jan Mayen comes mainly from mapping fishing. The time series is short. Longline surveys were carried out each year from 2019 to 2023.
Scientists say repeating surveys with the same methods and scale is the only practical way to monitor the stock. Because cod are long-lived, they believe surveys every three years should be enough to avoid loss of potential yield.
They also advise keeping limits on cod bycatch in the Greenland halibut fishery in the area.