Workshop II on Responsible fisheries management in Icelandic waters monday 9th. of June 2008

Address by the Icelandic Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture,

Einar Kristinn Guðfinnsson

Given at the the Workshop II

on Responsible fisheries management in Icelandic waters

monday 9th. of June 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen.

In one of his genius novels, the Icelandic Nobel Prize winner, Halldór Kiljan Laxnes, had one of the main characters state the following, and I quote in an information translation: “What you are entrusted with  -  you are entrusted with” end of quote. Here the author is referring to how one shall not fail in the duties one shoulders.

 To me this short but magnificent sentence contains the core of the ideology of responsibility that every fishing nation must adopt and follow.  The goal of the utilization of natural resources in the interest of the nation is first and foremost twofold:  one, to handle the resources cautiously, and two, to utilize the resources in a manner that provides the best living standards possible.

I have become aware in various parts of the world how Iceland is regarded to some extent as a model in terms of the utilization of the natural resources of the sea. Of course, we take pride in such praise.  I wish to emphasize, nevertheless, that we can do better in many respects, in fact, much better!  I am not saying this out of pure modesty - definitely not.  It is my firm belief that the main reason for us generally having tried to approach our utilization of the natural resource on grounds of long-term interests, is simply that we had no other alternative. We rely and have based our livelihood on the natural resources. This is why it has been clear to us right from the beginning that we must see to their utilization in a manner that enables us to hand them over to the coming generations in at least the same condition as it was when we received them. This is where our interests lie. It may therefore be said that we are driven by the interests entailed in carefully managing the natural resources, although there are different opinions how this is best ensured.

 Obviously, there is much temptation to act differently in times and under circumstances we are faced with several other options.  In such times the stakes may be less and occasionally results in people losing track of where they are headed.  Of course it goes without saying that in instances where the relative importance of the fishing industry in society is less, people may focus less on the utilization of this natural resource.

There is every reason to emphasize that the management and utilization of the marine resources are never an easy task and many factors that must be included in the equation. In utilizing the marine resources in a sensible manner, we must remember that we are not tackling situations where all factors of the equation are known - far from it!  This is a complex interaction of factors that in turn are affected by various things.  We are not only talking about the utilization by mankind as being the only contributing factor; we must also understand the complex interaction in the ocean. This is why our answer is first and foremost entailed in increasing research and thereby casting a clearer light on the ecosystem here being addressed.

 Changes in the temperature of the sea, the changing utilization of individual fish stocks, just to mention a couple of examples, are deemed as playing a major role in terms of comprehending the status of individual fish stocks. It is quite clear; for example, that the growth of the whale stocks here at the North Atlantic has had a negative impact on the size of various fish stocks, and also that the whale is literally in direct competition with man regarding the utilization of the fish stocks. This is a classic example of the interaction between a predator and a pray. This is why we believe that utilizing the whale stocks is an unavoidable part of utilizing the natural resources of the ocean in the best and most feasible manner. In order to strengthen one fish stock, we must know how to utilize another one that may be in competition for feed, or is perhaps the basis of the feed of the stock that we want to preserve and base our livelihood on.  The classic example in Iceland is the interaction between capelin and cod. The capelin is the cod’s most important forage, yet is also an important commercial stock.  We manage our utilization of this stock in a manner that prevents us from jeopardizing the strengthening of the cod stock. This tells us how we must always focus on many factors in our utilization of the marine resources.  This, however, can only be done through the best available knowledge and expertise.

Marine research in Iceland is extensive, yet more needs to be done.  Over the years, we have emphasized increasing such research and calling for as varied views as possible from all aspects of science.  We have furthermore sought the views of fishermen and fishing vessel operators, as I regard it as a prerequisite for us being able to arrive at a sensible conclusion to hear the opinions of as many as possible and to fuel debate.  Decisions derived from such a standing are not always easy ones, and in the short term they may cause much difficulty, particularly for those who have the greatest interests to protect. Striking and ignoring knowledge, however, is not an option in my opinion - in fact it is totally unthinkable!  We have no option but to base our actions on the best available knowledge, which we must seek with our scientists and those who possess the most experience, the fishermen and the fishing vessel operators.

As your are all aware of a decision was made in Iceland last year to decrease the total allowable cod catch, the cod TAC, by one third. This was not, - I repeat NOT -, because of any collapse of the Icelandic cod stock. The stock had decreased, however, recruitment was not sufficiently good, and neither the size of the stock nor the spawning stock was acceptable. Fortunately, we had various options and were not in a position of being forced to do just anything. We could, for example, postpone addressing the problem without placing the cod stock in major jeopardy. This would have potentially weakened the stock and eventually we would of course never have been able to refrain from taking measures. Problems regarding resource utilization do not vanish into thin air just by people trying to ignore them.  As a responsible nation we surely had to strengthen the cod stock, this our most important fish stock, in order to render it able to continue being a pillar in the Icelandic economy. This is why we chose to do the sensible thing to strengthen the cod stock again, namely expand it in order to generate the best yield and also to facilitate fisheries from the stock at minimum cost.  The short-term impact will be negative and will unavoidably affect some more than others. As a nation, we try to shoulder this responsibility and attempt to even out the burden even though it is clear to us that those who will be hit the hardest by such measures are those who had the most interests to protect regarding the fisheries and processing of cod.

I have frequently been asked whether this was not a hard decision to make.  There is a simple answer to this question: yes - this was indeed a very difficult decision! Damn hard indeed ! The consequences, for example, affected the most the areas that I represent as a parliamentarian.  I was born and raised in a fishing village that bases its entire livelihood on cod fisheries – I used to work in the fishing industry and I have worked in close proximity with people who totally rely on their income from the utilization of this fish stock. The impact was therefore very clear to me. But then again, this clearly illustrates how we take our role as a responsible nation very seriously.  The fact that I, in my capacity as the minister of fisheries, was prepared to enter into this kind of a decision illustrates more than anything our position.

This decision was furthermore much disputed for many reasons.  There are those who questione the scientific grounds and those who felt that we should take things more slowly.  Of course, these are matters that will always be disputed.  One thing is clear, however, namely that when such a decision is made the main thing is having identified and knowing the goal and how to realize it. We all know how easy it is to get lost on the track.  We all know how simple it is for those who focus on the short term to just take the easy and comfortable path.  Such a path, however, is not one that yields good results although it may be popular for the time being.  The main thing is that if one does not set the course straight, one is faced with the risk of being blown off course in the turmoil of the political winds and hardly make any progress at all. Demagoguery is not what we need when setting the course in important matters. A politician who has received the trust of the nation in public elections and been given an extensive mandate must of course focus on long-term strategies and must base his or her decisions on clear ideology and ethics.

 In this respect, of course, it is essential for the views on sustainable utilization and long-term focus being acknowledged in the society. Realizing when such a situation emerges may be difficult; however, the prerequisite for this is debate with the participation of many people. I believe that the discussions that have taken place in Iceland on the utilization of the marine resources and on how short time has passed since Iceland obtained full sovereignty over its economic zone, contributed to increasing the nation’s understanding for the importance of safeguarding and carefully managing the natural resources of the ocean.

As will be discussed here we have now received the estimates and recommendation on next years TAC. Without going into any details, I just want to draw your attention to the fact, that when it comes to the cod stock, we already last year, laid out the groundrules for the future decision. And according to those decisions, which at that time was approved by the Icelandic government, the TAC for cod will be 130 thousand tons next year. With reference to other species I will discuss that further with our scientists and the interesting parties and I am planning to issue the quotas before the end of this month.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Sustainability is a term which I have frequently referred to during my presentation. This is in no way surprising. Ever since its emergence as an accepted part of the ecological jargon it has been a focal point in all international discussion of fishery issues and the utilisation of natural resources. Fish buyers today are much more concerned about whether they are buying fish that has been caught in a responsible and sustainable manner. Demands for products from sustainable fishery are becoming more vociferous and more frequent. More and more often, fish exporters are forced to answer questions on the state of the fish stocks, on advisory matters related to fishing, on the position of the Government towards fishing issues, and so on. And they must be prepared with answer to these questions. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has been very active in this area, and it can be said that MSC and its labelling has virtually been a dictator in placating the market. In Iceland, we are of the opinion that MSC’s approach does not protect our interests, and therefore we have worked toward creating our own Icelandic label.

In early August 2007, the Statement on Responsible Fisheries in Iceland was issued. The Statement is based on the conviction that the term “Icelandic fisheries management” has a positive connotation in the minds of people acquainted with the fishing industry. In the Statement, responsible parties within the industry – administrators, researchers, and other experts – describe how the Icelandic fisheries management system works. Since the Statement was issued, standards have been in preparation, and that work is progressing apace. Once the standards are fully developed, producers of fish products can receive certification from independent parties, meaning that the product offered for sale has been made from raw materials obtained in accordance with the Icelandic fisheries management system. This sort of certification will be a great step forward in terms of satisfying the demands of the marketplace. Upon receiving certification, manufacturers will be allowed to place a special label on their products, confirming that the requirements set by the system have been met. The Statement is a preparatory step for the certification process and has been issued primarily to emphasise that Icelanders are engaged in responsible fishing. The Statement on Responsible Fisheries has drawn well-deserved attention and is accessible in English, German, and French on the website www.fisheries.is.

 This work is based on the FAO guidelines, which were approved by the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in 2005. In March 2007, it was decided that the guidelines should be expounded and developed further, especially the chapter on minimum substantive requirements and criteria, which details the requirements that must be met with respect to fisheries management systems, fish stocks, impact on ecosystems, and other factors. The results of this work by the Committee are expected in the near future, and at that point we expect it will be possible to advertise the Icelandic standard.

Closely connected to this are demands for safety and traceability of marine products. These demands are constantly increasing and can be expected to increase even more in the future. Traceability of a product actually means that it is possible to track the product, that it is possible to discover that product’s history – from the cradle to the grave, as it were – or to describe the path it has followed. In many respects, Icelanders are ahead of other nations when it comes to having an overview of catching fish, processing it, and selling the product. Traceability of marine products is the foundation for our being able to demonstrate whether Icelandic fisheries are sustainable or not. The environmental impact of the industry can be measured using methods such as LCA, or Life Cycle Analysis. Such methods enable us to determine how much impact a marine product has on the environment, all the way from the sea to the stomach of the consumer. We can then use this information in eco-labelling; we can tell our consumers that a given product has been manufactured without undue strain on natural resources, and that the producer is on the lookout for ways to minimise pollution in the manufacturing process. In this way, we can meet the demands of consumers who consider these matters important, and we can even generate discussion that may reach people who have not been especially concerned about environmental affairs.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Recent years have seen the Icelanders – both authorities and industry representatives - having to spend increasing time and effort explaining their fisheries policy, constantly pointing out and emphasizing how it is based on the ideology of sustainable utilization. One of the reasons for this time and effort are all kinds of nonsense and incorrect statements. Known organizations have literally presented distorted information that has proved difficult to correct. An example of this is the well known organization, World Wildlife Fund, the WWF, which has asserted in some of its publications and websites, among other things, that cod is facing extinction.  WWF and others which behave likewise are acting as if there were only one fish stock in the world, called cod, and is subject to the same kind of fisheries management worldwide. 

 Needless to say, it is totally intolerable for a responsible fishing nation being subjected to such unbelievable distortions that damage our reputation and cause problems at our markets. One cannot but wonder why an organization that wants to be taken seriously behaves in this manner?

 We, the Icelandic people, have proved by our actions that we are prepared to enter into difficult decisions that cause temporary economic difficulties, decreased national income, and market restraints in the short run if the result of such measures strengthen our fish stocks. It is our firm belief that we have in fact only one real and responsible option - namely to work on grounds of sustainable utilization!

I take the liberty of claiming that the state of the fish stocks in the Icelandic waters indicates that some achievements have certainly been made in recent years and decades - that today we operate a solid fishing industry capable of adjusting to changed circumstances. This does not mean, however, that we cannot do better - far from it!  The task at hand, of course, is to do better, to learn from experience.  In this respect, we must comprehend the importance of us basing our actions on caution and knowledge, accepting that our knowledge is limited and that the conditions are constantly changing - we must stay alert and adjust to such changes. Let us remember that the forces of nature cannot be controlled, however, through sensible fisheries management we may affect developments.