Faroese minister pushes to extend fishing days for group 5B

Faroese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Fisheries Bárður á Steig Nielsen has decided to allocate additional fishing days to group 5B, citing insufficient catches in 2024.

Group 5 has caught roughly 42% of the total cod in Faroese waters this year, with subgroup 5B accounting for about 16%. Nielsen stated this was “not enough” and emphasized the need to restrict other groups to protect juvenile fish stocks.

He clarified that only group 5B—not the entire group 5—would receive extra days, stressing that fishing in 5B largely supports Faroese culture and heritage. Vessels in 5B are coastal boats that are not fully industrialized.