Icelandic fisheries officials are calling the results of a new study of mackerel stocks proof that past overfishing in Icelandic waters has not damaged the stocks.
The annual study comes from a collaboration of research institutes from the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Norway. The data covers a mackerel trawl survey in the Nordic seas in July and August.
The study shows around 9 million metric tons of mackerel biomass, a slight increase over 2013. Migrations have changed slightly, leading to a “greatly increased” amount in waters off Greenland and northern international waters. The study also showed a reduction in Norwegian and Faroese waters.
Fisheries officials for the EU and Norway have accused Iceland and the Faroe Islands in the past of heavily overfishing mackerel and herring. Icelandic and Faroese officials have counter-argued that mackerel and herring stocks had migrated into their waters, causing an overabundance of the small pelagics. Disputes over quotas had been dubbed the “Mackerel Wars,” and at their height had led to EU sanctions on herring against the Faroes, with threats to expand them to include mackerel.
The parties have since resolved the dispute, but this week Icelandic Fisheries Minister Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson said the results of the new survey are proof that Icelandic officials were right about mackerel stocks in their waters.
“It is good news that the mackerel stock is still so strong and the survey also confirms once again the great abundance of mackerel in Icelandic waters as well as a significant increase in Greenlandic waters,” he said. “It is obvious that this development, which becomes better established year by year has to be recognized and taken duly into account in future negotiations.“
