What does reconciliation mean for the fishing industry?

The final results of the working groups of our Auðlindin project, led by Food Minister Svandís Svavarsdóttir, were presented today. The goal of the project is the efficient and sustainable use of marine resources in harmony with the environment and society and is based on three pillars of sustainable development: the environment, the economy and society. Along with the project, several people from different backgrounds were asked to write their speculations about the reconciliation of the fishing industry, where were free. Hrund Gunnsteinsdottir, Festa's executive director, was among them and her article can be found in the report of the project. A few well-chosen words from the article follow here: "The changes that are taking place call for systemic changes, different ways of decision-making than we are used to and more targeted focus on sustainability. This applies to the sea and the fishing industry as well. The better we tune in to read and understand the risks, the possibilities in the current situation, have an intention about what kind of future we want, we can strengthen our response, resilience and competitive advantage." "A new context must include an intention that we take not individual actions out of context and see them as separate larger, living wholes, be it individual parts such as the fisheries management systems, shipping routes, cultivation and exploitation, the aesthetics of life in the sea, experiments or green solutions in the sea. National consensus on the interests of the whole and future generations must not give way to short-term interests, goals and methods that are a child of their time." "We are a small country, interests in the fishing industry are strong, and it can be both complicated and painful to make changes. But changes are needed, there is no doubt about that." In the article, Hrund proposes four guiding principles that could be taken into account when creating a national agreement on the sea and the fishing industry. They are: 1. New context and changed decision-making2. Vision and Compass3. Long-term thinking4. Independence and competitive advantage The report, and the article as a whole, can be accessed here: https://lnkd.in/eQyzQrkq

We also welcome the focus on sustainability and the circular economy that appear in the proposal for the future vision of the Icelandic fishing industry in the picture attached to this news.