– We don’t know yetbut we may be on the threshold of a new cod adventure in West Greenland. In order to find out, politicians must therefore increase the quota for deep-sea fishing slightly in 2027 compared to this year.
That’s what 83-year-old Svend Christensen says, who can probably be described as the grand old man of Greenlandic fishing.
– We don’t know yetbut we may be on the threshold of a new cod adventure in West Greenland. In order to find out, politicians must therefore increase the quota for deep-sea fishing slightly in 2027 compared to this year.
That’s what 83-year-old Svend Christensen says, who can probably be described as the grand old man of Greenlandic fishing.
The businessman is the main owner of the shipping company Niisa Trawl ApS. He has almost been at the forefront of the country’s most important profession for 50 years.
Svend Christensen has always been reluctant to go to the press. But now he has an important message he wants to get out.
Politicians must know their visiting hours
The Department of Fisheries has proposed that the TAC for seagoing cod in West Greenland in 2027 remains the same as in 2026. That is, 16,000 tonnes.
Niisa Trawl and Sikuaq Trawl have responded to this in a consultation response. Here, the companies propose that the ocean-going cod quota in West Greenland for 2027 be increased to somewhere between 22,000-24,000 tonnes.
Over recent years, the TAC for shrimp in West Greenland has been decreasing. At the same time, the experience is that the cod is moving forward. In both 2025 and 2026, the fishing for cod without cut in West Greenland has been at a significantly higher level than in previous years.
For Svend Christensen, it is no surprise. He points out that, both among skippers and in the fishing industry, there has been a lot of talk for a number of years about the fact that ships have observed a lot of cod.
Svend Christensen therefore has no doubts about what is the right thing to do.
– In life, it’s about knowing your visiting hours and knowing when to strike. The only right thing is for the politicians to increase the ocean-going cod quota in West Greenland, as we need more knowledge about this fishery, he says.
Svend Christensen refers to the fact that the biological advice for ocean-going cod in West Greenland is very uncertain. As the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, itself writes in the biological advice.
– We don’t know, but we may be on the threshold of a new cod adventure. To find out, we have to increase the quota a little, says Svend Christensen.
Svend Christensen states that it is not a drastic increase that he has in mind.
– We recommend that the cod quota in West Greenland be increased by 6,000 to 8,000 tonnes more than the 16,000 tonnes that the Department has set. This will mean that vessels which have been affected by a falling shrimp quota in recent years will have the opportunity to convert to cod fishing and thus can switch between shrimp and cod fishing.
Can have enormous economic significance for society
It is public knowledge that both Sikuaq Trawl A/S, which Svend’s children own, and Niisa Trawl ApS want to be allocated seagoing cod in West Greenland in 2027.
Is the purpose of your announcement not only that Niisa Trawl is allocated a cod quota?
– Of course I want the best for the shipping company and my descendants. But I am so old that I will hardly get any pleasure from a cod quota. For me, the most important thing is that the politicians receive my advice, then should it turn into something that looks like a new cod adventure, then it will have enormous economic significance for the entire Greenlandic society, says Svend Christensen.
Moses Olsen had the courage to cut through
He emphasizes that politicians must dare to show courage. Svend Christensen talks with pleasure about the 1980s, when one of the Siumut party’s great and famous politicians, Moses Olsen, was a national board member for Fisheries.
– Moses Olsen and I did not always agree, but he was always able to listen. And when it really mattered, he had great courage to cut through and make decisions. I hope today’s politicians also feel the same way about the ocean-going cod in West Greenland, says Svend Christensen.
Niisa Trawl today has an equity capital of DKK 448 million and is debt-free. The size of the equity reflects that in Niisa Trawl there has been a great focus on saving up, that is to say consolidating the company.
Svend Christensen today owns 60 percent of Niisa Trawl ApS, while his four children Betty Holm-Christensen, Carl, Klaus and Svend Christensen junior together own 40 percent of the shipping company. The children also own the company Sikuaq Trawl.
