Ræða ráðherra á ICES fundi, 23. september 2013

Your excellencies,  Ambassadors, President of ICES and ICES General Secretary, delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

It is with great pleasure and honour I address you here today and welcome you to Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland to hold your important annual science conference. I would like to use this opportunity  to thank the Icelandic delegates in the Ices Council, Mr. Jóhann Sigurjónsson and Ólafur Ástþórsson and the ICES Secretariat for the organisation of the conference.

During the early days of ICES, Iceland´s involvement came about because of the general concern regarding the status of fish stocks in European waters, and in particular due to growing concern of high fishing pressure of foreign fleets in near shore Icelandic waters. However, it was not until 1938, that Iceland formally  joined the Council.

For an island nation where ocean resources constitute major part of the economy, reliable scientific advice is not only important, but simply a basis for the livelihood of the country. Although the responsibility of providing scientific advice for the management of Iceland's resources mostly lies within the legal role of the Marine Research Institute, participation in the ICES community has both been stimulus and a platform for scientific cooperation and development.

Icelanders depend to a larger extent on the oceans for their livelihood and well being than most other nations. Fishing has been an important activity in Iceland since the earliest days of settlement and during the past century the development of fisheries has provided the basis for the country's progress and rapid economic growth. Fish products constituted as high as 95% of Iceland's merchandise exports in the 1940s. However, with diversification of the Icelandic economy, fish products now constitute around 40% of the export merchandise value. Since 1976, the total annual Icelandic catch has varied between 1 and 2 million tons.

It has long been clear that effective fisheries management is essential to capture the full benefits from marine resources. Therefore, fisheries management has a long history in Iceland.  In 1901 Iceland declared a fishing limit of three nautical miles which remained in effect until this was extended to four miles in 1952 and stepwise to 200 nautical miles in 1976. For decades, fisheries of foreign fishing fleets within Icelandic waters had been extensive, leading to excessive fishing intensity. The extension of our Exclusive Economic Zone to 200 miles was therefore essential measure to protect the fish stocks from over-exploitation.

In the late 1970's and early 1980's many of the exploited fish stocks off Iceland were depleted or in rather poor condition, particularly cod, haddock and plaice. In 1975 the Marine Research Institution published a report on the status of the fish stocks off Iceland, where especially the poor status of cod stock was outlined.

As a result, strict measures were imposed on the fisheries for most commercially important fish stocks caught in Icelandic waters, based on scientific information. Beyond doubt this provided the scientific basis for conservation and recovery of fish stocks within the individual transferable quota system, or the ITQ system, that has been developed since the late 1980's and has gradually generated stronger fish stocks and more prosperous fishing industry than ever before. The ITQ system has served us well.  I am as well a true believer in the importance of catch registration and control and enforcement there of. Here in Iceland we are very proud of the system we have built up around weighing and registration of catches. Scientists should be provided with reliable catch information as a basis for their work.

No doubt, much progress has been made in recent decades regarding sustainable use of the fish resources around Iceland, which can be thanked improved scientific basis for the management and general consensus in the society-at-large and among the fishing industry, to base decisions on scientific knowledge. This does not mean that there is always agreement on the views and predictions generated by the scientists. On the contrary, debate on these matters is taking place in homes and elsewhere in Iceland every day. Nor does this mean that every recommendation of the scientists is implemented by the authorities that sometimes challenge the recommendations on sound basis of other than biological reasons, but gradually authorities are following closer the scientific advice.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am in fact proud to inform you that in the year 2013 the recommendations on TACs were fully followed by this minister for each and every species and stock ! Here the development and adoption of harvest control rules, developed by the scientists under the leadership of authorities and in cooperation with the fishing industry are of fundamental importance. I personally favour the co-operation with the industry, with the fishermen them selves, and believe that it creates a greater understanding between all parties.

Our approach has enhanced long–term view in the utilization of the resource, has given authorities and the fishing industry basis for long-term planning and stability, and has secured the sustainability of the resource.

Indeed, I note with interest that the Annual Science Conference will deliberate on many interesting themes of paramount importance such as management of fish stocks and long-term harvest strategies, and themes such as the pelagic fish complex in the North Atlantic Ocean, and spatial distribution and species competition during changing climate. These latter topics are related and of particular interest as we increasingly face challenges of successful management of fully exploited fish stocks in a changing marine environment.

The impacts of climate change, ocean acidification, and of marine related activities on the marine environment, particularly in the Arctic, challenge us to find the balance between sustainable use of marine resources and their conservation. In my mind this represents an immense challenge for scientists and fisheries managers.

We need to explore and understand ocean areas that will open up in the future and we need to follow the development of the ecosystem in these areas. We do as well need to continue exploring the stocks we are currently utilising and how scientific research might need to develop around changing migration patterns. This is a major undertaking, which individual countries cannot address alone and therefore needs to be carried out in a coordinated and cooperative manner through international research efforts, such as within the ICES network.

The oceans are critical for global food security with aquaculture playing an increasing role. I see ICES as a major player in promoting the sustainable use of natural resources of the oceans by advancing the scientific capacity to give advice on human activities affecting the marine ecosystem.

Ladies and genetlemen, may I wish you a fruitful conference and a pleasant stay in Iceland.

Thank you