Faroese and Icelandic fisheries ministers, Hogni Høydal and Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, have announced an agreement that gives Faroese fishing vessels greater access to Icelandic waters next year as well as increased reciprocal access for both countries to each others’ EEZs.
Faroese vessels have their cod quota in Icelandic waters increased from 1500 tonnes to 1900 tonnes, while their tusk quota is reduced.
The Faroese pelagic fleet can take up to 5% of the capelin TAC in Icelandic waters, up to a maximum of 30,000 tonnes and the same rules on pelagic trawling apply to both Icelandic and Faroese vessels. There are no changes to the access the Icelandic fleet has to mackerel and Shetland herring in the Faroese zone, or to reciprocal access rights for fishing blue whiting or Atlanto-Scandian herring in each others’ EEZs.
It was also agreed that the fisheries authorities in Iceland and the Faroes should work more closely together, including aiming to reach an agreement on electronic logbooks and integrating catch data, while it was also mentioned that the Høyvik Agreement on co-operation in fisheries should be revisited, including the limitations of processing capelin in Icelandic waters.
At the meeting between the two minister, Greenland was also consulted and it was agreed that the three nations should meet next year to examine the state of their combined fishing interests in the North Atlantic.
