Minister of Fisheries Einar K. Gudfinnsson revealed his decision on the quota for the next fishing season, which is not going well with the fishermen of the country. According to Gudfinnsson the quota for haddock, coalfish and redfish will be cut and the cod quota remains at 130,000 tons. Fishermen say the coming year will be difficult. Fridrik J. Arngrímsson, managing director of the Federation of Icelandic Fishing Vessel Owners (LÍÚ), told that the current scenario shows that it will be a difficult year for many with such little cod.
In 2007 also there was a drastic cut to the cod fishing quota which caused recession in the fishing industry. According to LÍÚ the cod quota should have been higher. Arngrímsson expressed that it is too low considering the earnings of individuals and companies when no risk had been taken with a quota of 150,000 to 160,000 tons. Arnar Sigmundsson, chairman of the Association of Fish Processing Plants, agrees on the opinion that the cut to the cod quota last year had been too high and emphasized that opinion now so we thought it would be natural that the quota would be higher this year.
Saevar Gunnarsson, chairman of the Association of Fishermen, is pessimistic. He says this will be a horrible year. We anticipate a vast recession in the earnings of fishermen and fishing companies. There is nothing positive about it. The Marine Research Institute proposed a cod quota of 124,000 tons, but Minister Gudfinnsson decided to keep the promise he made last year, that the cod fishing quota will not be lower than 130,000 tons. Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde explained that the government backs Gudfinsson’s decision.
