This Act makes provision with respect to the management and conservation of marine living resources (defined in section 3) in the marine waters of Norway and related genetic material. The Act also provides for marine bioprospecting and provides rules relative to marine fishing and the allocation of fishing quotas. The principal responsibility for administration and control shall lie with the Fisheries Directorate. The Act consists of 69 sections divided into 13 Chapters: Introductory provisions (1); Marine bioprospecting (2); Catch quantities and quotas (3); The conduct of harvesting operations and other utilisation of wild living marine resources (4); Order on harvesting grounds, compensation, local regulation and committees (5); Arrangements for control and enforcement (6); Control and enforcement (7); Measures against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (8); Catches taken or delivered in contravention of this Act (9); Fees, registers and duty to provide information on the operation of vessels (10); Coercive fines and infringement fines (11); Criminal liability (12); General provisions and entry into force (13).
The Ministry may for control and enforcement purposes prohibit or adopt further rules on transhipment, including requirements that any person that tranships catches shall report this within specified time limits, and that transhipment may only take place at or within specified positions or in a particular port. The Ministry may by Regulations: require any person that starts harvesting operations, changes harvesting area or discontinues harvesting operations to send reports on this within specified time limits and report for control at or within specified positions or in a specific port; prescribe that any recipient of catches unloaded or transhipped from a vessel shall be registered with the Directorate of Fisheries as a recipient of catches, and that any first-hand purchaser of catches shall be registered with the Directorate of Fisheries as a purchaser. The owner or user of a harvesting or transport vessel and the person that receives the catch shall complete a landing note with information on the catch. The Act specifies other regulation-making powers of the Minister with respect to control measures and in particular with respect to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities and port control. The Ministry may also, in order to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, prohibit activities that may undermine national management measures or measures taken by international or regional fisheries management organisations.