Shrimp trawling in the Oslo Fjord is an important coastal industry with significant local and regional importance. At the same time, Oslo Fjord is facing increasing environmental pressure, and strict regulations and no-fishing zones introduced in January 2026 impose more stringent requirements for documenting environmental impacts, energy efficiency, and sustainability if the industry is to survive.
Shrimp fishermen in Oslo Fjord and the municipality of Hvaler have, for decades, actively worked on fishing gear development and selectivity to reduce bycatch. Through this project, new trawls and trawl doors will be developed that are even gentler on the seafloor than current trawl gear, which is already relatively lightweight compared with more conventional shrimp trawls.
The project will develop, test, and document new, environmentally-friendly shrimp trawl technology that reduces seabed impact, energy consumption, and emissions while simultaneously improving catch efficiency, product quality, and documentation. A new trawl and new trawl doors will be developed to reduce seabed contact and disturbance while still enabling fishing close to the seafloor.
The performance of the new fishing gear will be documented using integrated sensors installed on-board two shrimp trawlers operating from Hvaler. These sensors will measure the trawl’s position, geometry, and behavior in the water column, as well as fuel consumption. In addition, the characteristics and functionality of the current shrimp trawl gear will be documented in order to quantify the improvements achieved with the new gear, including gains in energy efficiency, reductions in bycatch, and decreased seabed contact.
SINTEF leads the project and contributes to instrumentation and the quantification of the performance of both existing and newly developed fishing gears.