Norway and the European Union agreed in Copenhagen on Friday that the total mackerel catch of the mackerel coastal states will be 646,000 tons next season. However, Iceland and the Faroe Islands walked out of the meeting and are not included in the quota.
Fishing in Iceland. Copyright: Icelandic Photo Agency.
The Independent states that a trade war between the EU, Iceland and the Faroe Islands is impending, calling the mackerel dispute the “Cod Wars II”.
According to ruv.is, both Iceland and the Faroe Islands are planning to grant themselves unilateral mackerel quotas; Icelanders feel they are entitled to 16-17 percent of the overall quota.
Negotiations between the mackerel coastal states have been ongoing for the past months but there haven’t been any conclusions to the quota dispute.
Click here to read more about the mackerel talks.
