Iceland demands answers from Faroes on missing fish
A Faroese ship landing fish in Iceland. Photo: Síldarvinnslun
Faroese fishermen are accused of making off with thousands of tonnes of fish worth millions to the Icelandic processing industry, and Iceland wants answers.
According to an official from the Icelandic Fisheries Ministry, the Faroese have over the past three years taken 11,500 tonnes of capelin fish back to the Faroe Islands instead of bringing it to Iceland.
An agreement between the two countries requires Faroese fishermen to land in Iceland one-quarter of all the capelin they catch in Icelandic waters up to 15 February and two-thirds of any catch after that date.
The shortfall of returned capelin constitutes a loss of ISK 500 million (approx. €3.5 million) for the Icelandic processing industry, estimates the Ministry.
The Icelandic government has asked the Faroese government to explain the situation, while the Directorate of Fisheries is reportedly looking into taking steps against Faroese fishing companies.
