October 30, 2019

Iceland sets up committee to advise government on aquaculture issues
 

A special consultation committee has been formed  by Iceland's fisheries minister to advise the government on aquaculture matters, Fish Farmer reported on October 29.

Established through an act of parliament, the committee will consist of  board members from local communities, the environment and the Marine Research Institute.

"Underpinning the decision to set up an aquaculture consultation committee, the main idea lies in promoting the necessary consultation on the structure of the industry. It is designed to give science, stakeholders and the government a common platform for exchanging views on the important growth that is already underway as well as being planned," said fisheries minister Kristján Þór Júlíusson.

"With this committee, we are also following our advice from our main neighbouring countries, which have come much further than Icelanders in building a powerful aquaculture industry. One of the key factors will be to promote close cooperation among the government, the aquaculture companies and nature and science so we can work better together. I hope this consultation committee will be an important step in achieving that aim."

Iceland's aquaculture industry is represented by Heiðrún Lind Marteinsdóttir from the Icelandic Fisheries Association (SFS), who played a key role in helping to resolve a three-month long fishermen's strike in February 2017.

- Fish Farmer