Representatives of Iceland’s National Association of Small Boat Owners (NASBO) are watching the development of the spring lumpfish fishery as a disagreement has developed over the number of days available. NASBO had proposed that the fleet’s days should be set at 40 for this season, but found that the authorities had limited them to 32.
According to NASBO, fisheries minister Kristján Thór Júlíusson failed to follow the recommendations of the Marine Research Institute, as the 32 days allocated is not sufficient for the fleet of inshore gill netters that target lumpfish to catch the volume that MRI has recommended as the overall catch for this season. The Institute has recommended that this year’s catch should not exceed 5487 tonnes, which is an 868 tonne reduction over last year’s allocation.
NASBO had proposed 40 days for this year’s fishery, which is in itself a reduction of six days compared to the eventual allowance for last year’s season, so the reduction to only 32 days has come as an unwelcome surprise.
But according to NASBO’s reckoning, the 32 days allowed for the fishery are likely to only be enough for around two-thirds of the recommended 5487 tonnes to be caught, representing a significant loss of income for the fishermen as well as a potential loss of markets if production is not available to meet the demand.
