Tomas H. Heidar, Iceland’s chief negotiator for mackerel, on Friday responded to allegations that Iceland “walked away” from a third round of talks in Oslo, Norway, last week aimed at settling the ongoing mackerel rift.
Last Friday, Iceland, the Faeroe Islands, Norway and the European Union failed to reach an agreement on a joint management plan for mackerel, including catch limits, in 2011.
“Iceland showed increased flexibility at this last meeting, but that was in vain primarily because of Norway’s inflexible position that a share for Iceland beyond 3.1 percent was unacceptable,” Heidar told SeafoodSource.
Iceland rejected Norway’s offer, calling it “totally unrealistic” because it ignored the fact that mackerel has been migrating increasingly toward the northwest during feeding season in recent years, said Heidar. This year, more than 1 million tons of mackerel, about 23 percent of the stock, were in the Iceland’s exclusive economic zone for four to five months, and Iceland’s share in this year’s mackerel quota is between 16 and 17 percent.
“It was only this year that the EU and Norway recognized Iceland’s status as a coastal state with respect to mackerel, despite clear evidence for many years of mackerel migrating increasingly into the Icelandic zone,” explained Heidar.
“Now it seems that the EU and Norway will need more time to accept a reasonable share for Iceland in the mackerel fisheries, which takes into account the change in the migration pattern,” he added. “We hope they will not take too much time, as it is imperative that the four parties agree on the comprehensive management of the mackerel fisheries in order to ensure their sustainability.”
However, Scottish fishing interests and politicians aren’t backing down. Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association CEO Ian Gatt told Scotland’s Press & Journal newspaper on Thursday that “Iceland effectively walked out of last week’s negotiations, during which they were asking for a huge mackerel share despite having only been involved in the fishery as recently as 2005.”
Gatt added, “There may well be a lot of mackerel in the Icelandic zone for a four-month period, but during that time the Icelanders fish flat-out, which doesn’t smack of sustainable fishing practices.”
A fourth round of negotiations between the Faeroes, Norway and the EU are scheduled to take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 9 December and 10 December.
