First the United Kingdom fought the cod wars against Iceland. Now it is fighting the mackerel wars. The war is currently one of words, but the situation is heating up fast.
Three cod wars were fought between 1958 and 1976 over British access to Iceland’s fishing grounds, which were progressively increased from 4 nautical miles to 12 miles, then 50 miles and finally to 200 miles. Each time the Icelanders imposed a new limit, British fishing vessels, backed by warships, continued to fish in the disputed region. And each time the Icelanders cut trawl nets and boarded, rammed and collided with British vessels. Tempers were frayed, shots were fired, and the disputes were slow to settle.
Finally, in 1976, Iceland threatened to close the NATO camp at Keflavik, which at that time was seen as a vital strategic defence base. The British capitulated and agreed to keep out of Icelandic waters, and so began the decline of its large distant-waters whitefish fleet.
Fast forward 35 years and tensions between the two countries are rife once again, only this time the European Union is involved, as fisheries policy and quota is now governed by the 27-nation bloc. The Faeroes has also jumped into the fray. In dispute are the autonomous mackerel TACs (total allowable catch) of 130,000 tonnes set by Iceland and 85,000 tonnes set by the Faeroes.
The current EU TAC for this stock is 572,000, the majority of which is shared between the EU and Norway. Traditionally, Iceland and the Faeroes have only had minor catches of mackerel, but changing migratory patterns have led to the mackerel stock being found in their waters during the summer months. Naturally, these countries feel they have a right to catch them while they are there.
At risk are Marine Stewardship Council certifications for North East Atlantic mackerel, which the Dutch, Irish, Norwegian, Danish and Scottish industries spent the best part of three years achieving.
The Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group’s (SPSG) MSC certificate was awarded in January 2009, but a new condition imposed during its annual audit states that no more fish should be taken out of the stock than the scientific advice allows. If Iceland and the Faeroes go ahead with their plans, then the combined fisheries will exceed that advice.
“There is real concern in the industry that if no progress is made in negotiations with these countries, then SPSG could lose its MSC certification for mackerel or face severe cuts in quota. We are lobbying at the highest level for a resolution to the dispute because loss of MSC certification would have a major impact on mackerel sales,” explained Ian Gatt, chief executive of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association.
In northeast Scotland last week, fishermen acted angrily when they learned that one of the major pelagic processors was landing fish from the Faeroes. Around 20 skippers and crew gathered on the quayside in Peterhead, Scotland’s foremost pelagic port, in an attempt to stop a landing of 900 metric tons of mackerel into Lunar Freezing. Unlike French fishermen, who are quick to set up blockades to make their point, such behaviour is unusual for the Scots and is a measure of their sense of betrayal and impotence.
The fishermen had supported calls the previous week for a Norwegian and EU ban on mackerel imports from the two countries.
“I share the anger of Scottish fishermen over the irresponsible actions of the Faeroe Islands and understand the depth of feeling that led to the factory blockade in Peterhead,” said Scottish Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead. “I will be taking this issue up once again with European Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki and calling on her to make clear that the EU finds such actions unacceptable and to set out the consequences of these actions.”
However, the Federation of Icelandic Fishing Vessel Owners pointed out that an import ban would constitute a violation of EFTA, GATT and EEA agreements. “Our fishermen have every right to fish for mackerel within the Icelandic jurisdiction, just as Norway and the EU have the right to fish for mackerel in their respective jurisdictions,” said the group.
This issue is set to drag on for a while, and judging by the length of the cod wars, the outcome may not be known for some time.
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