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ICELAND and the Faroe Islands are facing the increasing demands for a ban on at least some of their seafood exports unless they back down on their decision to give themselves a unilateral mackerel quota.
EU pelagic fishermen have described the move as "outrageous", saying it is threatening the current healthy mackerel stock.
The European Association of Fish Producer Organisations said the EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki must act decisively and act quickly and said a seafood ban may be the only thing that will bring both countries to the negotiating table.
Iceland has set herself a quota of 135,000 tones of mackerel and the Faroes has given itself 85,000 tons.
Gerard van Balsfoort, chair of the European association’s Northern Pelagic Working Group said: “The EU must be prepared to stand up for and protect Community pelagic fishermen against this outrageous behaviour. We are not prepared to stand idly by what is happening now and we will not accept any mackerel quota reductions, caused by the irresponsible overfishing carried out by both countries.”
Now Norway, which is not a member of the EU,joined the protest this weekend. The Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Lisbeth Berg-Hansen described the act by both countries as "irresponsible".
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
