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FURTHER evidence of a growing rift between Iceland's fish catching industry and the government emerged at the weekend in a new dispute about monkfish.
According to Icelandic Seafood International , A government bill has been passed by the Icelandic Parliament known as the Althingi as law which will allow enable the Minister of Fisheries to issue an additional Monkfish quota of 2,000 tons over the next two years.
The row is over the fact that this additional quota will not be free of charge to existing quota holders, as has been the custom under existing legislation on fisheries, but will be sold at a price determined by the Ministry of Fisheries.
The National Association of Fishing Operators (LIU) has protested most strongly and maintains that this is the first step in demolishing the country well established and proven current quota system.
The National Employers Association (SA), an umbrella organisation of which LIU is a member, has withdrawn its support of the Stabilisation Pact, a major instrument in the on-going reconstruction of the economy - and this could have an impact on issues like wage negotiations and other issues.
This is the second dispute between the fishing industry and the government this years. In January virtually all Iceland trawlers in the Westman Islands region of the country have been returning to port in the past few days to protest over a Government plan to take away one of their few income tax"perks".
The Westman islands is one of the largest fishing areas of Iceland. They were also angry over proposals to re-distribute fishing quotas and to impose a levy on exports of unprocessed fish, a move which has not been well received by fish processors on the Humber in recent weeks.
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