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THE European Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki has said Brussels would be sending a "very clear message" to Iceland and the Faroe Islands over their self declared mackerel quotas. Europe, she added, would be demanding a sustainable deal.
She issued the warning earlier this week after the latest attempts to find a solution apparently came to nothing. Iceland has given itself 130,000 tons and the Faroe Islands 85,000 tons.
Ms Damanaki said : "However, should the current anarchic situation in the mackerel fisheries continue with unreasonable positions being maintained by parties, then the Commission will contemplate all necessary measures to conserve the mackerel stock and safeguard EU interests."
The EU, thinks the Iceland move is driven by economic needs and said it will consider abandoning all fishing agreements with the states – which could spell chaos to efforts to conserve stocks such as cod. Another possibility is preventing Icelandic boats from landing their fish in EU ports.
Potentially, this could affect the weekly shipments of Icelandic and Faroese fish to the crucial Humber markets where thousands of fish workers depend on this supply for their jobs. However, such a drastic move is thought to be some way off yet. It would certainly not be popular in Hull or Grimsby.
Norway which shares the same views as the EU has already banned fish processors from accepting any mackerel landed by Icelandic or Faroese boats.
Both Scottish and Irish fishermen are angry over the stand taken by Iceland and the Faroes. Last week 20 fishermen from Peterhead and Fraserburgh used vans and cars in a bid to prevent the Faroese vessel the Jupiter from unloading 900 tonnes of mackerel at Peterhead
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
