Growing demand of sustainable seafood among the consumers has made it hard for non certified fish to be on the market. The three largest supermarket chains in Switzerland have taken the wild Icelandic cod off the shelves as it has not been certified as sustainable. These supermarkets used to only sell Icelandic cod and have a 75 percent market share in the fresh fish market in Switzerland.
According to Morgunbladid the total export of cod from Iceland to Switzerland peaked in 2006 with 2,000 to 3,000 tons. Hilma Sveinsdóttir, exporter of Icelandic cod to Switzerland, said since 2004 her company has encouraged Icelandic authorities and companies with interest in fisheries to have Icelandic seafood products certified as sustainable.
She also informed that the supermarkets just want a stamp that everyone recognizes so that they can sell the fish as a quality product at a premium price. She added that environmental labeling is the largest issue of interest facing the Icelandic fishing industry today. Fridrik J. Arngrímsson, managing director of the Federation of Icelandic Fishing Vessel Owners (LÍU), told that propaganda from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is the reason why the three largest Swiss supermarket chains have stopped selling wild Icelandic cod.
According to Arngrímsson their decision is not just about sustainable fishing but also about the right to control fisheries; a question of whether democratically elected governments are in control or environmental protection organizations through supermarkets.
