ANCIENT TRADITIONS

It is not until late 19th century (The 1800s) that the number 13 is talked about as a sign of bad omen. Judas is by Christians considered to be the 13th person to sit down at the table during the Last Supper. He is also the same person who went to the chiefs priests and agreed to hand over Jesus in exchange for 30 silver coins. In Norse mythology the number 13 is also considered to be a number for bad predictions. Baldur, who was loved by all the gods, goddesses, and beings of a more physical being - so handsome, gracious, and cheerful that he actually gave off light, got betrayed by the guileful trickster Loki. Loki convinced the blind god Hodr to throw a spear that he (Loki) had made from Frigg’s (Baldurs mother) mistletoe. In an online news article dated Friday 13th Jan 2017, Arne Pedersen, chairman of the Norwegian Costal fishing bo- ard explains how the number 13, even to this date, by many is considered to be a sign of bad prediction, especially if the date appears on the same day as a Friday - “you’ll get a comment from one of the locals...”, “doing fishing on a Friday is a no go, especially on Friday the 13th. If you catch some, you should at least release the first one in order to avoid an accident. Further he speculates if its just an excuse for a longer extra weekend. Fishing, hunting of sea mammals and sea birds, and the collecting of shellfish and sea-bird eggs were all features of Scandinavian subsistence economies far back into prehistory. Most Nordic farmers of the later Iron Age probably spent as much time aboard a boat as behind a plough. 

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Rock carvings of halibuts have been found in coastal areas in Rogaland, Trøndelag, Nordland and Finnmark, dating 7,000 years back. In Norse mythology, the halibut was a symbol of the white, mild god Baldur. And more than 10,000-year-old rock carvings show that halibut was also highly regarded in the Stone Age. Throughout history, it has been referred to as «The Queen», «The Godfish» and also the sacred fish, which symbolized fertility. Even today the halibut is an extremely sought fish that marks special and festive occasions and valued guests. 

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The Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) is a deep water, flatfish. It is closely related to the Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), but there are slight differences in size and color. The Greenland halibut has a variety of other English vernacular names including “blue halibut” (common Norwegian name). 

 

The left eye has migrated during the fish’s development so that it is on the right side of the head. However, in this fish, it has not moved as far as in bottom-dwelling flatfish and the fish can probably see forwards. The Greenland halibut is an arctic species which is found at depths ranging between about 200 and 2,000 meters, mainly between 500 and 1000m, and is found in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. In the North Atlantic it occurs from England to northern Norway, Faroe Islands, Iceland and eastern Greenland in the east and from Newfoundland to north-western Greenland in the west. It’s rarely found in water above 4°c. 

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STOCK

Historically, the stock decreased dramatically in the 1970s, and quota adjustments were introduced in 1977. In 1978, the Norwegian quota was set to 40,000 ton, while in 1980 it was set to 14,000. In 1992 fishing for Greenland halibut was prohibited, with the exception of research fishing and limited Norwegian costal fishing. The catchable amount of Greenland halibut, defined as fish that is 45 cm or longer, has increased sin- ce then, but has declined since 2014. This indicates that the catch rate, which has been relatively stable since 1992, has not been too high, but shouldn’t be increased either. The ban on direct fishing for Greenland halibut was lifted in 2010. The joint Norwegian-Russian Fisheries Commission agreed on a distribution key for Greenland halibut in 2010, which means that Norway have a 51% share, Russia 45% share and 4% share are allocated to “other” countries for fishing in the fishery protection zone at Svalbard. 

 

Both Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Artsdatabanken (Specimen databases) have listed both the Atlantic halibut and Greenland halibut to stage RED, meaning preconditions should be kept. WWF’s (Norway) official statement states the following: “The knowledge of the Greenland Halibut stock is insuffici- ent and the marine scientists recommend that it only be fished for precautionary management. The quotas are set higher than the scientific advice, at the same time even more than the allowable quotas are being fished. 

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POLLUTION 

There are major concerns about the amount of organic pollutants in the halibut (as well as in other fish). Reports from The Institute of Marine Research have concluded that the amount of pollutants such as PCS and mercury are extremely high - even though the results are shifting from time to time. The Institute of Marine Research (IMR) conducts long-term monitoring of pollution in Norwegian costal and marine areas. Particular focus has been on measurements of components related to fossil fuels such as oil and coal, long-time degradable organic pollutants and radioactive elements. 

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PCBS AND PESTICIDES IN MARINE ORGANISMS

PCBs and pesticides are chlorinated foreign substances (organic pollutants) that can be be toxic to humans and animals. The foreign substances have barely any natural origin, and most come from heavy industry and other hu- man-related activities. The substances can be absorbed by fish and other organisms in the marine environment and collected in fatty bodies, such as in fish. Although most of these substances are now banned from using and produ- cing in Norway and many other parts of the world, they are still found in nature, even in remote and relatively untou- ched areas such as the Barents Sea. This is due to their low rate of degradation (persistence) which allows them to remain in the wild for a very long time. The pollutants are carried with ocean and air currents and -read throughout the world. 

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RADIOACTIVE POLLUTION IN FISH AND OTHER MARINE ORGANISMS

(in the North Sea and the Barents Sea)

In 2009, Cs-137 was collected and analyzed in amphipods, Greenland halibut, flounder, haddock, hake, krill,, cape- lin, polar cod, shrimp e.g.. The highest concentration (0.2 Bq / kg fresh weight) was measured in Greenland halibut, gap founder, cod and saithe - all bottom-dwellers (demersal fish). 

 

 

MERCURY

Mercury is (commonly) a waste material found in consumer goods such as lightbulbs (fluorescent light), mirrors, cosmetics, firearms, and is historically also used in medicine, e.g. Analyzes of mercury in 65 Greenland halibut from the Barents Sea, conducted by the IMR, show exeedances in 7 fish compared to the EU’s upper limit of 0.5mg / kg wet weight. The results show that there may be a correlation between the size of Greenland halibut and mercury content. It is known that the mercury content increases with the weight and age of individuals who grow old. Greenland halibut grows very late and fish weighing 3.5 - 4.5 kg can be more than 30 years old. Fish with mercury concentration above the EU’s upper limit are most likely old individuals.