Still no fisheries deal with Iceland

Høgni Hoydal, the Minister of Fisheries, cannot say when Faroese fishing vessels will be able to return to Icelandic waters.

This was the essence of his reply to MP Bárður Kass Nielsen, who enquired about the fishing rights deal for 2019.

Hoydal added that although no agreement is in place, the two parties are in ongoing discussions.

Consequences for long liners

The MP also enquired about the possible consequences for the Faroese long liner fleet if access to Icelandic waters is banned this year.

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Hoydal had no direct reply to this, adding that the Faroes have for many years been allowed to catch 5,600 tonnes of bottom fish in Icelandic waters.

The cod quota has doubled since 2015 and now stands at 2,400 tonnes.

Talks dragging on

Hoydal added that Faroese and Icelandic authorities have been negotiating a new framework agreement on fisheries since last summer, but so far without a result.

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The two parties have also been discussing a fishery deal for 2019, but no agreement has been reached there either.

Faroese fishing vessels have also been allowed to catch capelin in Icelandic waters for years, but since Iceland no longer has a capelin quota, there is nothing there for Faroese fishermen to go for.

Translated by prosa.fo