Ráðstefna um málefni hafsins

Ocean Strategies

Árni M. Mathiesen, Minister of Fisheries, Iceland

Icelanders are highly dependent upon the ocean, the Icelandic economy is built up primarily around utilisation of living marine resources and it is no exaggeration to say that the ocean’s harvest has been the leading factor in providing us with the standard of living we enjoy today. The interaction of the ocean and ocean currents with the climate, which influences our weather, creates the conditions for living in this country, and special ecological conditions which lie behind the rich fishing banks in its coastal waters.

Therefore it is no surprise that the Icelandic policy on ocean issues is based on maintaining the future health, biodiversity and sustainability of Icelandic waters. We will in the foreseeable future still be heavily depended on fisheries so the ocean will continue to be the cornerstone of our economy. This means that we must more effectively than ever before focus on sustainable utilisation, conservation and management of the resource based on scientific research. The health of the ocean and sustainable utilisation of its living resources provides the basis for Iceland’s welfare. With this in mind the Icelandic government considers ocean issues to be central to its activities, in the future as in the past.

The policy we are now introducing, created in a collaboration of three ministries, Ministry of Fisheries, Environment and the Foreign Ministry is a resault or outcome of what has been on the agenda in this field here in Iceland. From the Ministry of Fisheries point of view it is clare that the FAO conference on the Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem had a great impact. The objective of the conference, which Iceland hosted in cooperation with Norway, was to review the experience of applying ecosystem considerations in fisheries management. The result of the conference was the Reykjavík Declaration on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem. In formulating a comprehensive ocean policy, an effort has been made to combine in one document previous policy statements, commitments and emphases, while at the same time setting new objectives and proposing how to achieve them.

It is clear that Iceland must participate actively and take the initiative internationally to win support for the tenets of sustainable development, and thus recognition for its own perspectives. It is a fact that operations in other countries can damage our resource more than our own. Pollution far away from Iceland can circulate to Icelandic waters, influence Icelandic species and possibly damage the good reputation Icelandic fish has on the markets. We can not only trust in good will of other nations. In my opinion Iceland must be active, be a leader among states that prioritise improved treatment of the marine ecosystem. Iceland should always aim at increasing the country’s credibility in international discussions on the utilisation and protection of the marine ecosystem.

Sustainable utilisation is the key to rational and responsible conservation and management of marine resources. Iceland’s policy places special emphasis on the importance of preventing ocean pollution. The application and further development of the ecosystem approach lays the basis for achieving Iceland’s objectives in ocean issues.

Iceland’s policy stresses that scientific research and increased knowledge of the marine ecosystem are the premises for further progress in comprehensive resource management and decision-making on protection of the marine environment. Transparency of information on sustainable utilisation of marine resources, biological diversity and characteristics of ocean areas and species expands knowledge and increases both public confidence and interest in the marine ecosystem. The policy proposes that Iceland’s participation in development co-operation be increased in the areas of fisheries, resource management and environmental protection.

Effective co-operation and consultation on ocean issues within public administration should be increased, in order to implement better the main points of the policy. Increasing consultation is intended to ensure that Iceland’s basic positions are clear, harmonised and provide guidelines for all efforts to promote Icelandic policy on ocean issues.

We also need to strengthen the cooperation between government, industry and consumers. The economy is always looking deeper into the policies of the governments all over the world. Discussions and requirements from the business in the fisheries sector will increase in the near future. Therefore it is necessary to keep up the good reputation of Icelandic fish products to strengthen our position in various markets. Negative coverage in the press can damage the good image of Icelandic products. We must build up a system where our clients can approach reliable information about our fish stocks. Our export earnings rely on food security and traceability of the product. We must be able to show our customers that we follow and support sustainable fisheries management. Companies like Carrefour, McDonalds and Unlilever are examples of companies that have set their own standards for fisheries according to food safety and sustainability. Some companies have already contacted the Ministry of Fisheries on these issues.

This strategy is only the first step and we are determined to go further in our work. The next step is to reinforce our research and development on the oceans biosphere, build up a new research data bank and have more systematic communication. The most important task in this connection is to coordinate information about sustainable utilisation of the ocean resource, composition of the catch and traceabilty. This information will be gatherd in a unitary databank so it will be possible to find information for the various fishing grounds and stocks. This is a very ambitious task that calls upon cooperation both here in Iceland and in other countries. We see this as our main project in the field of fisheries now when we will be leading the Nordic cooperation and we have already started the project.

Ladies and gentleman

I am convinced that this conference on ocean strategies will be fruitful and make a valuable contribution to the future. I wish you every success.