Fishery and commercial exploitation of Calanus finmarchicus in Norway

Abstract

In Norwegian coastal waters the copepod Calanus finmarchicus (“red feed”) is abundant during summer with local concentrations of 3–25 g/m³, in swarms 6–15 kg/m³. A fishery for Calanus started about 1960 and is still on an experimental stage with annual catches of 20–50 tons. The fishery is carried out from April to July with fine-meshed nets either anchored or towed. The Calanus is stored deep-frozen and used as supplementary food in culture of salmonids and as pet fish food. Experiments are going on with products for human consumption. The potential of the fishery is thought to be large, and the yield may be increased according to demand.