Consumer perceptions pose a challenge for "red list species" in Norway

Norwegian red fish. The only red fish caught in Norway is as bycatch.

Despite strong management practices, some species in Norwegian waters are still threatened.  While the Directorate of Fisheries has an annual priority list of improvements, a lack of consumer awareness plays a role in the continued (sometimes illegal) exploitation of threatened populations in Norwegian waters. WWF Norway lists six Norwegian species on the “red list” of their seafood guide.

·      Coastal Cod (a specific cod population, other Norwegian cod populations are healthy)

·      Eel

·      Norwegian lobster

·      Wolfish

·      Monkfish

·      Red fish

Norwegian consumers have an assumption that all seafood in Norway is domestically produced, which it largely is, and that because it is produced in Norway it is automatically from a sustainable well-managed population. This assumption, leads to very limited use of the seafood guide produced by WWF Norway and to consumers asking few questions about their seafood. While the majority of Norway’s seafood populations are in good condition, the failure of consumers to ask pertinent questions discourages the recovery of threatened species.