FPO fires back at EU, Norway

The Faeroese Pelagic Organization (FPO) is weighing in on the escalating mackerel strife pitting the Faeroe Islands and Iceland against the European Union and Norway.

On Monday, the FPO questioned the EU’s and Norway’s commitment to managing the North Atlantic mackerel stock.

“The move by the EU and Norway to first take more than everything for themselves and then blame others for irresponsibility is hardly a testimony to their commitment to responsible management,” said Jógvan Jespersen, the FPO’s managing director.

Jespersen said the Faeroes were left out of the EU-Norway agreement and had no choice but to set its own mackerel quota at 85,000 metric tons in 2010, up from 35,000 metric tons in 2009. The Faeroe Shipowners’ Association voiced the same argument earlier this month.

Jespersen added that the Faeroes’ 2010 mackerel quota is justified because both scientists and fishermen concur that the juvenile and adult mackerel population has moved increasingly toward the northwest, meaning there’s more mackerel in Faeroese waters for a longer period of the year.

“What’s obvious to everyone here is that the mackerel is booming and the waters are brimming with it,” he said.

There were two major disagreements during mackerel negotiations for 2010 in Clonakilty, Ireland, last October and in Edinburgh, Scotland, last November, according to Jespersen.

“First, it turned out that the mackerel had left Norwegian waters earlier than expected, and so the Norwegians were upset at the EU’s refusal to give Norwegian vessels access into EU waters for catching the remaining 70,000 [metric] tons of their quota. Second, the Faeroe Islands demanded a change to the sharing of the quota to reflect the changed geographical distribution of the mackerel stock,” he explained.

Though the mackerel debate is heating up, both EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki and Icelandic Fisheries Minister Jon Bjarnason last week expressed a willingness to engage in talks in an effort to settle the dispute.

All Supply & Trade stories >
Subscribe

Want seafood news sent to your inbox?

You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time. Diversified Communications | 121 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | +1 207-842-5500
None