Norway's National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim) carried out raids on fish receiving plants in Finnmark, Nordland and Møre og Romsdal on Tuesday morning, and has arrested and charged several people. According to NRK, the operation targeted what investigators describe as the deliberate and systematic misregistration of catch landed at the affected facilities.
Økokrim's lead public prosecutor, Elisabeth Harbo-Lervik, said the agency had received information and tip-offs over time about incorrect registration of landings at the plants in question. She said the investigation is at an early stage and declined to give further details about what has been found so far.
Why it matters
Fisheries crime is treated seriously by Norwegian police because it affects both the shared marine resource and the operators who follow the rules. The case also draws on a broad set of public bodies, reflecting how fisheries enforcement depends on cooperation between prosecutors, police, the Coast Guard and specialist agencies. The raids come as a reminder that the registration of landed catch — the paper trail behind quotas and landings — is a central control point for the industry.
Dawn activity at quays in the north
NRK reports that civilian police officers appeared at the quay at Havøysund Fisk at around seven o'clock on Tuesday morning. Two of the Coast Guard's mobilisation vessels were also on site, positioned at both approaches to Havøysund.
At the same time as the Finnmark operation was under way, the Coast Guard vessel "Barentshav" was moored at Myre, according to Fiskeribladet. Kyst og Fjord reported that the raids covered plants in Havøysund, Kamøyvær, Honningsvåg and at Myre.
Havøysund Fisk is owned by the Ålesund company Jangaard Export AS and Myre Eiendom AS. Gunnar Haagensen owns Jangaard Export, and Ted Robin Endresen owns Myre Eiendom.
Haagensen, who chairs the board of Havøysund Fisk, told Fiskeribladet that he was not yet aware of the raid. He said he had tried to reach employees but had so far not managed to make contact.
John Christian Elden, the lawyer for Ted Robin Endresen, wrote in a text message to Fiskeribladet that the operation against Myre Fiskemottak probably concerns the Marine Resources Act. He did not elaborate further in the message as reported.
Charges confirmed, details withheld
Økokrim has confirmed that several people have been arrested and charged, a development also reported by TV 2 and VG. The agency said it received assistance from local police during the operation, along with support from the Coast Guard, Justervesenet (the Norwegian Metrology Service) and the Directorate of Fisheries.
Karianne Moen, a section head at the Directorate of Fisheries, said the directorate is providing the police with fisheries expertise. She described a well-established partnership with Økokrim aimed at preventing and uncovering crime in the fishing industry.
Harbo-Lervik said police take suspicions of fisheries crime seriously. "Fisheries crime affects both the community's resources and the actors who operate legally," she said, according to NRK.
The agency has not named the individuals charged, and no further information about the scope of the alleged misregistration has been released.
What to watch
With the investigation described as being at an early stage, the next signals to watch are any expansion of the charges, further details from Økokrim on what the raids uncovered, and any response from the companies named.
