Fisheries are of great importance to the Icelandic nation, and using marine resources sustainably is essential to the country’s economy – even more so during times of global financial turmoil.
Iceland was the first country to impose strict fishing quotas, and therefore has one of the most sustainable fishing stocks in the Western world. As cod catches in much of Europe have crashed, Iceland’s remains relatively healthy.
A further cut in the cod quota this year has upset many in the fishing industry, caused job losses and driven the price of fish up – but it does send a clear message that the Icelandic Marine Research Institute and Ministry of Fisheries take the conservation of fish stocks very seriously.
In relation to this, the country recently revealed its “Iceland – Responsible Fisheries” badge which will be applied to Icelandic seafood products and verified by “an independent, internationally recognised, accredited certification body”.
Icelandic fish exporters hope that the new badge will provide proof of the efforts Iceland makes in regard to sustainable seafood in a world increasingly aware of the need to preserve the marine environment.
Two major Swiss supermarket chains recently made the decision to stop selling Icelandic fish simply because there was no way of proving the sustainability of the fish stocks or the fishing practices. The new badge is designed to address these issues head-on.
This is no surprise even to fishermen. Iceland has always been a leader in sustainability.
Steve
http://www.thefin.com
No one can live by fish alone. Once everybody is out of fish, they will come to Iceland to grab our fish. We must build a strong navy to protect us from future intrusions that will surely come. Our future generations of Icelandics is in jeopardy.
IMHO if Iceland joins the EU in a way that allows EU members access to their fishing grounds, it will be like peeing in your pants on a cold snowy day.. At first it will be warm and nice but eventually you will wind up worse off than you were before you started..