Pelagic Tuesday – Session 1

Presenting companies: African Aquaculture Company | Faroe Marine Research Institute | Insitute of Marine Research | Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission | Fisheries Iceland | MSC | Cargill

The Quota situation for Mackerel and Blue Whiting

Facts about Quotas and stock situation

Chair:

Torben Foss
Vice President - African Aquaculture Company

Torben has spent most of his professional life in the seafood sector. He started his work in the public sector part of it and became Director General in the Ministry of Fisheries in 1990. He had his hands in the EEA-agreement, the veterinary “easy-access” to EU and the defence against dumping allegations in the salmonsector. 25 years were spent in PwC – as an employee and a partner – mainly building up seafood capacity in the organizations He is now a practicing lawyer.

Speakers

The North Atlantic subpolar gyre regulates the pelagic complex

Illustration of linkages between the dynamics of the subpolar gyre and temperatures, salinities, nutrient concentrations, abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton, pelagic fish stocks, seabird populations and migration of pilot whales. Focus is on the main pelagic species, mackerel, blue whiting and herring – their stock sizes, spawning distributions and feeding migration routes. Impact of the open-ocean on the adjacent south Iceland and Faroe shelves will also be discussed.

Hjalmar Hatun
Senior Researcher - Faroe Marine Research Institute

Stock situation and prognosis for mackerel, blue whiting and NSS herring stocks

Management challenges of the pelagic complex in the Northeast Atlantic

Erling Kåre Stenevik
Insitute of Marine Research

Erling Kåre Stenevik Senior scientist, Institute of Marine Research (IMR) Erling Kåre Stenevik is a senior scientist in the Pelagic Fish research group at IMR. He has a PhD in fisheries biology from the University of Bergen and is responsible for the monitoring and advisory work on Norwegian spring-spawning herring at IMR.

The industry perspective on management of the pelagic complex

Heidrun Lind Marteinsdottir
CEO - Fisheries Iceland

Education: BA and ML in Law
I’ve held position as the CEO of Fisheries Iceland since August 2016. Fisheries Iceland was established in 2014 when the Federation of Icelandic Fishing Vessel Owners and the Federation of Icelandic Fish Processing Plants merged. The association’s goal is to safeguard the interests of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Iceland.
Worked as a Lawyer and Partner at LEX Law Offices in Reykjavik, Iceland, from 2006-2014.

The certification of Mackerel and Blue Whiting

Gisli Gislason
MSC

Born and raised in Neskaupstaður, a fishing community in east Iceland.
Went to the University of Tromsö, where graduated with both Cand.nag and Cand.scient degree in Aquaculture, marine biochemy.
Wide experience in the seafood industry, been fisherman, in processing site, in company management, and sales and marketing.
Been with MSC since 2008 and current position is Program Director North Atlantic, which mean responsible for Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Island and Norway

Blue whiting: Why responsible management matters to the global salmon industry

The blue whiting stock is vital for European aquaculture, but the inability to agree on quotas and the resulting legal over-fishing has led to loss of sustainability certifications and only two years left in a fishery improvement program (FIP). Without a certification, or a clear path thereto, feed companies and salmon farmers may be forced to stop using blue whiting for feed production and will have to look for sustainably managed alternatives, disrupting sectors and stressing the market. Coastal States must collaborate on quota setting, with the fishing sector helping to establish a long-term sustainable solution.

Dave Robb
Group Sustainability Lead - Cargill

Dave Robb is the Group Sustainability Lead for Cargill’s Aqua Nutrition businesses. With 20 years of experience in sustainability issues related to aqua feeds, he has a comprehensive understanding of various aspects such as supply chains, feed production, and how feeds can contribute to more sustainable farming. Robb leads the signature sustainability initiative SeaFurther® Sustainability, through which Cargill aims to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its customers’ farming activities.