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ICELAND'S Fisheries Minister said today that his country wants to reach an agreement with the European Union and Norway over its controversial mackerel quota.
Mr John Bjarnason told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning that he did not want the dispute to drag on and was willing to negotiate with other coastal states that are affected - notably Scotland, Ireland and Norway. He added: "The mackerel is there in huge amounts and we are allowed to fish for it."
Any negotiations on behalf of Scotland and Ireland would have to be carried out through the EU, and the European Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki is due to visit Iceland and the Faroe Islands in the next few weeks to try to reach a settlement.
Iceland has given itself a unilateral mackerel quota of 130,000 tons and the Faroe Islands 85,000 tons which Scotland and Ireland says threatens to seriously damage the stock. Last week a Faroese mackerel trawler was turned away from Peterhead harbour after a blockade by local fishermen. There have also been calls to boycott all Icelandic and Faroese fish and seafood products.
Scottish Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead told the Today programme this morning that the Icelandic and Faroese quotas were too large and threatened the fishery. "The reason there is so much mackerel at the moment is because it has been well managed," he added. He said mackerel was worth £135 million a year to the Scottish economy. Mr Lochhead also warned that there could be serious consequences for Iceland and the Faroe Islands if they did not reach a settlement.
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
