Threatened action by French fishermen began early this morning as Calais and other ports have been blockaded. Ferry and freight services have been suspended, with the busy port of Calais seriously affected, while Dutch seine netters in Boulogne due to weather have been unable to leave.
Faroese fisheries minister Høgni Hoydal has expressed his surprise at the turn of events that resulted in Iceland suspending access for the Faroese fleet to Icelandic waters, not least at the actions of the Icelandic authorities. He has protested at the decision to rescind the fisheries agreement between the two nations, which he has described as unusual and illegal.
Iceland’s minister of fisheries and agriculture Kristján Thór Júlíusson has taken the decision to exclude Faroese fishing vessels from Icelandic waters in 2018, just as the Faroe Islands warned Iceland its vessels would not have access to blue whiting in the Faroese zone unless concessions were made.
There is little love lost between Norwegian krill catching companies Rimfrost and Aker BioMarine, which recently acquired Rimfrost’s fishing vessel at an auction.
Norwegian shrimp trawler Remøy sailed yesterday after being released from arrest in Murmansk where it has been held for three weeks.
A Norwegian shrimp trawler is still detained in Murmansk, two weeks after an inspection by Russian Coastguard showed a flaw in the trawler’s licensing paperwork. The trawler’s owners are on their way to Russia to meet the crew who have been in limbo for the last couple of weeks.
Representatives of the Citra Mina Workers Union and their national centre SENTRO have called on the seafood industry employers' association SFFAII to take stock of the potential consequences of growing international concern over the industry's ongoing failure to respect international standards.
A Danish fisherman convicted in 2012 of illegal fishing has had his conviction overturned on the grounds that evidence supplied by Greenpeace was unreliable.
A salmon farming operation in north-western Iceland faces a legal challenge, with a demand that permits issued, opening the way to increasing salmon production in Arnarfjörður, should be rescinded.
Bulgarian fishermen finally lost patience trying to forge a dialogue with the authorities and yesterday blockaded the channel leading to the Black Sea port of Varna, with more than 50 vessels taking part. They claim their next step will be to take their grievances to the EU Commission.
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