Representatives from interested parties in the ongoing mackerel disputes between the E.U., Iceland and the Faroe Islands, also known as Coastal States, will go back to the table this weekend to try to resolve an ongoing fight over mackerel and herring quotas.
The group, which will also include representatives from Norway, will meet in Reykjavik, Iceland on 7-8 September, to discuss criticism that both Iceland and the Faroes are overfishing stocks of both species.
Both nations have claimed that migration of the species to their waters means they can fish more without damaging the stocks, but the E.U. and Norway have disagreed. The dispute led to recent sanctions from the E.U. against the Faroes, barring sale of Faroese mackerel and herring there, and E.U. officials have said they are considering similar measures against Iceland.
“We hope that the coastal states involved will put threats of sanctions to one side and approach these talks with an open mind,” said Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Iceland’s Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture. “We are confident that diplomacy and dialogue are best path to a solution and we stand ready to play our part.”
