Iceland review - 2015, Page 80

78 ICELAND REVIEW
SPECIAL PROMOTION
SEAFOOD ICELAND
CONFERENCE 2015
SCIENCE AND SUCCESS
The word ‘responsible’ is appealing and pleasant. I
looked it up on dictonary.com. The first explanation
is the following: “Answerable or accountable, as for
something within one’s power, control, or management. In
other words, being responsible means that one can affect
or control something in a given situation.”
When it comes to fishing and utilization of natural re-
sources in our oceans it is clear in my mind that we, hu-
mans, can be answerable, accountable, for what is within
our power to control or manage. We certainly don’t control
nature, but we can assist positive development by respon-
sible behavior, and we can also seriously harm nature by
being irresponsible.
My point is that wherever the fish end up migrating, we
have to base our decisions about responsible utilization
on objective observations. Leave out the hot feelings and
call for cool analysis and logic—actually, that’s what we call
‘Science’ with a capital ‘S.’ And then we need to be clear
about the principles we already have agreed upon, as well
as the promises we have made through various conven-
tions, agreements and resolutions.
Some 30 years ago, the total catch of cod in Icelandic
waters was 460,000 tons with a total export value of USD
303 million. In 2013, the catch was 236,000 tons, but the
export value was USD 720 million. While the total catch
went down by 50 percent, the value more than doubled.
Did we know for sure back then that this would happen?
Of course not entirely! But our goal was always to come up
with a rational and effective system that would work. And
so we did. Since then, the key words associated with fish-
ing in Iceland have been: RESPONISBLE, SCIENSE-BASED,
SUSTAINABLE.
And this summer it became clear that our most valuable
fish resource, the cod stock, is now biologically stronger
than it has been for half a century.
For a nation like Iceland, so heavily dependent on nat-
ural resources from the ocean, there is no other way than
responsibility and sustainability. We, the people, have to
preserve nature so that nature can, in turn, take care of us.
Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Sigurður Ingi Jóhannesson.
BY MINISTER OF FISHERIES AND AGRICULTURE SIGURÐUR INGI JÓHANNESSON.