The Davis Strait - DCE - Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi

5 Natural resource use
5.1 Commercial fisheries
AnnDorte Burmeister, Helle Siegstad, Nanette Hammeken Arboe, Ole Jørgensen,
Anja Retzel, Rasmus Hedeholm, Rasmus Nygaard, Nikoline Ziemer (GINR) & Daniel
Clausen (AU)
Commercial fisheries represent the most important export industry in
Greenland, underlined by the fact that fishery products accounted for 88% of
the total Greenlandic export revenue (1.7 billion DKK) in 2009 (Statistics of
Greenland 2010). The four most important species on a national scale are
deep-sea shrimp (export revenue in 2009: 1,044 million DKK), Greenland
halibut (398 million DKK), Atlantic cod (130 million) and snow crab (45 million
DKK) (Statistics of Greenland 2010). Greenland halibut, shrimp, snow
crab and cod are the main commercially exploited species within the assessment
area. Lumpsuckers, wolffish, redfish and salmon are exploited in
the more coastal regions of the area.
Shrimp, Pandalus borealis
Northern shrimp is caught on the bank slopes and in Disko Bay. The fishery
for shrimp began in inshore areas in 1935 as a small-scale fishery and it developed
slowly to become a 150,000 tonne fishery. The major part of the
catch is taken by large modern trawlers, which process the catches onboard.
The fishery extends from 59°30’N to 74°N in West Greenland waters. The
annual catch in 2010 was approximately 135,000 tonnes (Hammeken &
Kingsley 2010) (Fig. 5.1.1). The assessment area holds very important
grounds for the northern shrimp fisheries and between 50% and 70% of the
annual catch was taken here from 1990 to the mid2010s. From 2009 the proportion
of the annual catch taken from the assessment area has declined
from 50% to 20%.
Snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio
Snow crabs are important for communities in the assessment area. Fishing is
permitted between 60°N and 74°N on the west coast of Greenland. The
commercial fishery for snow crab started in 1996. Landings peaked in 2002
at approximately 15,000 tonnes, and the snow crab was at that time the third
most important species in terms of total export income for Greenland. The
assessment area is the most important snow crab fishing area and crabs are
harvested both inshore and offshore, with only a few fjords left unexploited.
The fishery is mainly situated along the inner and outer edges of the offshore
banks from 62°N to 67°N, but also Holsteinsborg Dyb and Godthaabs
Dyb are important fishing sites. Total catches in the assessment area peaked
at approximately 9,500 tonnes in 2001 (Fig. 5.1.2). In the succeeding years
catch declined substantially to approximately 1,500 tonnes in 2009
(Burmeister 2010).
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