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EU and Norwegian fishing industry call on Iceland and Faroe Islands to start acting responsibly on the sharing arrangement for mackerel.
The coastal states involved in the mackerel fishery - EU (representing Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and UK), Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands - will meet in Clonakilty (Ireland) for the third time in 2011 to try to come to a sharing arrangement and joint management of the North East Atlantic mackerel stock.
In advance of the meeting both the EU and Norwegian pelagic fishing industries are calling on Iceland and Faroe Islands to start acting responsibly in their demands. Both countries have increased their share in the fishery in a reckless and irresponsible manner from 6% in 2006 to almost 45% in 2011 (see note below). Their actions are totally contrary to the sustainable management of the mackerel stock practiced by EU and Norway.
The EU and Norwegian industry could accept a sharing arrangement for mackerel in which Iceland would be allowed a share of not more than 4% and Faroe Islands a share of not more than 7% of an agreed TAC in a new sharing and management arrangement. Both shares would be without access into EU and/or Norwegian waters.
These percentages represent almost a doubling of the Icelandic and Faroese traditional and historic shares.
The EU and Norwegian industry are aware that a fair and reasonable sharing arrangement has to be agreed between the four parties.
However, both industries feel very strongly that the bad and irresponsible behavior of Iceland and Faroe Islands must not be rewarded by giving them a share based on recent massively increased unjustified catches. Basing quota shares on how much mackerel a country can catch when the stock is in its waters is not sustainable or justifiable. With the high abundance levels of the mackerel stock the EU and Norwegian catching sector could easily have caught and landed three times their actual quota, if their authorities would have allowed them to do so.
The negotiations next week are a good opportunity to put pressure on Iceland and Faroe Islands to start acting responsibly, says the industry
In this regard both the EU and Norwegian industry applaud the preparations within the services of the European Commission to develop a strong trade sanction instrument to be applied in cases such as the mackerel management.
“It is incumbent on both EU and Norway to make it very clear to Iceland and Faroe Islands next week that they are not prepared to stand idly by and allow them to destroy the healthy mackerel stock,” said a Norway and EU pelagic industry statement.
Additional information on sharing arrangements
Since early 2010 the EU and Norway have agreed to a 10-year bilateral sharing and management agreement for this stock. In particular since then both the EU and Norwegian industry active in mackerel have joined forces and cooperate closely in the efforts to come to a sharing and management agreement for mackerel that includes also the Icelandic and Faroese mackerel fisheries.
With growing concern both the EU and Norwegian mackerel fishers, processors and traders have observed the huge increase of Icelandic mackerel catches from 363 ton in 2005 to close to 150,000 ton in 2011. The autonomously set Icelandic quota now accounts for 22.7% of the scientifically advised catch opportunities for 2011.
The Faroe Islands have increased their agreed share in this fishery in two years from their agreed share of 4.6% (up to 2009) to 23.2% in 2011. Faroe Islands did so by unilaterally deciding to step out of the mackerel coastal states agreement early 2010.
Both the Icelandic and Faroese autonomously quota are set outside the scientific advice for this fisheries.
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