Information officer Urður Gunnarsdóttir expressed concern as to how to present Iceland's cause. (Photo: FIS stock)

Govt hires PR firm to help with mackerel dispute

ICELAND
Friday, November 09, 2012, 23:50 (GMT + 9)

Iceland has hired a UK-based PR agency to conduct an analysis and provide consultancy over the mackerel and Icesave disputes.

“We are primarily concerned with how to best present Iceland’s cause in these two issues,” explained Urður Gunnarsdóttir, information officer of the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The firm, Burson-Marsteller UK, is serving both the Icelandic Embassy in London and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Industries and Innovation, Iceland Review reports.

Regarding the mackerel dispute with Norway and the European Union (EU), Norway and the Union want sanctions against Iceland for unilaterally increasing its mackerel catch, as Iceland is considered to be overfishing the stock.

On October 22-24, another meeting on the management of the mackerel stocks residing between Iceland, Norway, the Faroes and the EU failed. This meeting was held in London.

When no consensus was reached, Iceland recommended, as an interim measure, that the total catch taken by the Coastal States and the Russian Federation for 2013 be lowered in line with scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Although a 15 per cent cut was suggested on 2012 levels to an overall catch of 542,000 tonnes, no agreement was made.

Iceland Minister of Industries and Innovation Steingrímur J Sigfússon said the meeting’s outcome was upsetting.

And he added: “I am disappointed that no agreement has been reached despite proposals from Iceland on a considerable reduction of the catch. We remain willing to negotiate a solution that reduces the mackerel catch for all Coastal States, based on scientific evidence, and ensures a fair share for all while protecting the stock for future generations.”

Scottish Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead was particularly critical of the Faroe Islands, calling their position “stubborn and unrealistic.” The Faroese unilaterally declared mackerel catch for 2012 was five times larger than their internationally agreed quota in 2009.

As far as Icesave, Iceland is awaiting a verdict from the EFTA Court expected by early 2013, that may overturn the last Icesave referendum which rejected a deal to pay back the British and Dutch Governments after Icesave, Landsbanki’s online savings account, collapsed during 2008’s financial meltdown.

Related article:

- Coastal States' talks fail to reach a mackerel quota agreement

By Natalia Real
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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