Greenlandic authorities have warned the Greenlandic fishing company Arctic Prime Fisheries of possible repercussions if Arctic Prime violates the terms of its fishing license, Sermitsiaq reports. The violation in question is landing its catch in Iceland before having landed half of its permissible catch in Greenland. 29.53% of Arctic Prime Fisheries is owned by interconnected Icelandic seafood companies Brim and Útgerðarfélag Reykjavíkur.
December 17, Greenland’s government warned the company in January that they needed to land at least half of their permissible catch in Greenland before they landing their catch in other countries. According to Sermitsiaq, Arctic Prime protested the mandate but Greenland’s government upheld their decision, as late as January 28. Since then, Greenland’s Ministry of Fisheries has had wind of Arctic Prime’s ship on its way or even already landing fish in Iceland. As of last Friday, they hadn’t yet notified the police but did notify the company of the consequences it might bring to violate the terms of their Greenlandic fishing license, Jørgen Isak Olsen told Sermitsiaq.
Icelandic seafood companies Brim and Útgerðarfélag Reykjavíkur own 29.53% of Arctic Prime Fisheries, after extensive investments last summer. Arctic Prime is one of South Greenland’s largest private workplaces and was hard hit by the effects of the pandemic. The company has catch quotas of cod, mackerel, herring, as well as redfish and halibut. The company mostly fishes south of Greenland and in the Greenland Strait.
