Introduction

Since 1976, Norway and the Soviet Union/the Russian Federation have undertaken a common responsibility for the management of the Barents Sea fish resources. The management regime comprises co-operation in the fields of research, regulations and compliance control. In recent years, marine biologists have strived to develop ever more sophisticated methods to estimate the size of the fish stocks. Regulations, on their part, generally reflect the political will to establish quotas and other catch limitations in accordance with scientific recommendations. However, these efforts bring little gain if regulations are not complied with by fishermen.