Svend C is betting on cod outside the cut

One of the trawler companies , who this year seek self-government about quotas on cod outside in West- and East Greenland next year, is the family business Sikuaq Trawl A/S, which is owned by the Christensen family.

- We are willing to make a nice big one investment in a new cod line in the factory on the trawler Svend C. We do this because we believe that cod is the future, and we have a tailor-made trawler for this fishery, says the director and co-owner Carl Christensen to Sermitsiaq.

One of the trawler companies , who this year seek self-government about quotas on cod outside in West- and East Greenland next year, is the family business Sikuaq Trawl A/S, which is owned by the Christensen family.

- We are willing to make a nice big one investment in a new cod line in the factory on the trawler Svend C. We do this because we believe that cod is the future, and we have a tailor-made trawler for this fishery, says the director and co-owner Carl Christensen to Sermitsiaq.

The company applying for quotas on seagoing, that is outside, cod both inside East and West Greenland, and are hopeful that the company will be allocated quotas.

Will fish cod for a large part of the year

The trawler Svend C, which is from 2016, is a combination trawler that fishes both shrimp and mackerel. But the quotas on shrimp and mackerel are declining.

With quotas on only prawns and mackerel Svend C will have free capacity for a large part of the year. This has forced the company to look at alternatives.

Sikuaq Trawl sees cod as an ideal alternative for the company's combination trawler.

In Sikuaq Trawl emphasis is placed on the fact that Svend C has no quota for cod i Barents Sea or halibut fishing.

That means that Svend C therefore has enough time during the year to fish for cod both West and East Greenland.

The company believe that if there no more actors come into the cod fishery for next year, it is highly likely that the situation from this year repeats where quotas are lost because they are not fished out. This means that the self-governing fund, Landskassen, loses cod fees.

The fishery for seagoing cod in West Greenland, has been experimental fishing for some years.

2025 Is the first years in recent times, when Naalakkersuisut has allocated ocean-going cod quota i West Greenland. Sikuaq Trawl therefore believes that all players in this fishery must be seen as new players and that everyone has the same starting point.

Director: - We have a good case

Carl Christensen acknowledges however, that in the end the distribution of the ocean-going cod quotas is up to the political system, i.e. Naalakkersuisut.

- We have great respect for the political process, but we believe that the company has a good one case, and the cod quota must be fished up in 2026, so that society gets all the income from the cod taxes, more fishing capacity is needed than it is today, and we are ready with that, says Carl Christensen from Sikuaq Trawl.

The shipping company's turnover last year was DKK 282 million and had a profit after tax of almost DKK 40 million.

Shipping companies that want fishing quotas next year, for example on cod, must apply for it in the Department of Fisheries, Catching, Agriculture and Self-sufficiency.

It is naalakkersuisoq for Fishing, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-sufficiency, Peter Borg, who, after the officials' processing of applications, which comes with a recommendation to Naalakkersuisoq, which distributes the quotas.