Iceland’s National Audit Office has delivered a negative report to the country’s Parliament on the management and governmental framework around the growing aquaculture sector.
The findings in its report are that the governmental framework around aquaculture is weak and fragmented, and poorly equipped to cope with the growth in this sector over the past few years.
It reports that legislation that was intended to support the growth and extent of the sector has not been matched by the capacity and monitoring facilities of the relevent governments being expanded. The National Audit Office has identified shortfalls in legislation, administration and monitoring, making 23 points that should be considered for action to be taken.
Among the Audit Office’s recommendations are for the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries to take measures to so that aquaculture zones are defined, to define the application of sustainability assessments, to examine the process of awarding licences for aquaculture in marine waters and to strengthen co-operation between instututions and ministries.
Further recommendations are for the Food and Veterinary Authority’s activities to be extended, for the activities of the Sea Aquaculture Environmental Fund to be examined and for the legislation relating to levies for aquaculture in marine waters.
The Audit Office also recommends that measures to prevent losses into open waters should be toughened, along with measures to strengthen the system of penalties fines and licence withdrawal in instances of non-compliance.
