The British could learn about creating a fisheries policy from Icelanders says Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs. RÚV reports that Guðlaugur says that Iceland is prepared to lend the UK a hand in the task, which is one of the many logistical projects that the latter needs to resolve in advance of Brexit.
“The British have shown a lot of interest in our fishing system and they aren’t alone in that,” said Guðlaugur in an interview with RÚV. He noted that Michael Gove, Britain’s current Secretary of State for the Environment, has visited Iceland, “among other things, to familiarize himself with this very thing.”
Other nations have also shown an interest in Iceland’s sustainable fishing industry, Guðlaugur continued. “Last time I checked, we are the only nation within the OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] which is getting a net tax from natural fishing resources or from the fishing industry as a whole,” he said.
Guðlaugur’s comments came in the wake of an article published in the UK paper The Telegraph which announced that “Iceland holds secrets of success for fishing after Brexit.” He was, in fact, quoted in the article, pointing Iceland’s expertise in this area. However, the British government has of yet not taken Guðlaugur up on his proffered guidance.
