Prawns in ebb and flow

In the years from 1960 to 1980, the fishery for cod in Greenland was much larger than it is today. During the 1980s the cod seemed to disappear from the Greenlandic coast, resulting in many fishermen converting to prawn fishery. Biologist still do not agree on what made the cod disappear, but the prevalent explanation is that it was a combination of intensive fishery and declining sea temperatures, which meant that the stocks moved towards warmer waters in the South.

Warmer oceans around Greenland

Prawns prefer colder water and are one of the main prey species for cod, which meant that the prawn had great conditions during the 80s and 90s. However, the sea around Greenland is getting warmer again. This is reflected in the fact that biologists are again seeing an increased amount of cod in Greenlandic waters. It is believed that the cod is following their favourite prey, the prawns and the capelin, which are moving northwards to the cold water they prefer.

This has been reflected in declining catch volumes of prawns and Greenlandic biologists are noticing declining biomasses in the usual catching areas. In a press release, Greenland's Institute on Natural resources notes that "the cod, which is the joker in the game of the prawns, is increasing in numbers, especially in the southern part of West Greenland. The cod eats prawns and it is expected in the coming years that the increased amount of cod will make inroads in prawn stock. Studies have shown that the presence of cod in a prawn catching area means declining numbers of prawns". However, presently, the overlap between the two species is not extensive and can thus not explain the situation fully.

Exploring new catching areas

Hence, the prawn is under pressure from two fronts – the cod and the climate, which is reflected in the steadily declining Greenlandic prawn quota. Royal Greenland is currently exploring previously non-utilised fishing grounds further to the north, in order to investigate whether the prawn has moved away from Greenland entirely, or, has just moved towards the colder north. Captain of the Royal Greenland trawler Akamalik Jogvan Trondarson explains:

"This October we found prawns at 75 degrees North in Melville Bay close to Thule Airbase. Three of our vessels were fishing up there and we all had good catches of large prawns. I think that we will fish here next year in the late summer/autumn, but the problem is that the area is covered by ice much of the year. As we have not been fishing here before, we don't know whether the prawns have been here all along or if they moved up here from the South."

The prawns caught in the North were very large, indicating that they are of a stock that has not previously been fished.

In addition to the difficult ice- and weather conditions, it is a challenge that the new found fishing grounds are located very far away from the processing and shipping hubs further South. This means that the catching vessels would have to travel much further than today, thus increasing both transportation costs and the time to market.