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Steady rise in cod stocks.

There has been a considerable drop in the number of fishing vessels since 1995. The biggest decline has been noted mainly among the smallest vessels.

Norway is a major fishing nation with responsibility for large ocean areas and important fish stocks. Experience from our long history of fisheries management has for decades been passed on to developing countries so that they can develop and exploit their marine resources in a sustainable manner.

Approximately ninety percent of Norwegian fisheries involve stocks which Norway manages along with other coastal states. The parties' fishing quotas are allocated in negotiations. 

Norway has the world's second-longest coastline, and manages an ocean area that is more than six times larger than mainland Norway. Nevertheless, different desires and needs for use of the sea may give rise to conflicts.

"There are no borders under water," a famous submarine captain stated a few years ago. And that's quite true when it comes to fisheries management in our waters. Norway shares almost all fish with other countries, and they swim in and out of the various countries' zones. 

The point of departure for an individual vessel quota is a TAC (Total Allowable Catch) or total quota that Norway negotiates with other countries on an individual stock. 

It is a recognized fact that the world's fish resources are not being managed in a sustainable manner.

In 2012 261 shipping accidents occurred in Norway, according to figures the Norwegian Maritime Directorate has registered.

The area of responcibility is named the Norwegian Search and Rescue Region (SRR) and it is extensive. It extends from 57 degrees north in the North Sea to the North Pole and from the 0 meridian (the border between Norway and the UK North Sea) to 35 degrees east.