British demand for CCTV on Faroese fishing vessels is unreasonable, says union leader

The Faroese Shipmasters and Navigators Association has questioned the legal basis for new British requirements mandating CCTV surveillance on all vessels fishing in UK waters, calling the demand “unreasonably unreasonable,” Kringvarp Føroya reports.

On 7 March, British regulations requiring onboard cameras on foreign fishing vessels in UK territorial waters came into force. Since then, multiple members have contacted the association, which had already written to Faroese authorities on 23 February to ask what legal grounds the UK has for imposing such rules.

Annfinnur Garðalíð, chair of the Faroese Shipmasters and Navigators Association, told national broadcaster KVF that the issue involves complex legal distinctions between where Faroese law applies and where British jurisdiction takes precedence.

Tóri Højgaard, director of the Faroese Data Protection Authority, acknowledged that providing a clear answer to the union’s inquiry will take time. He noted that while the UK’s stated goal—preventing illegal discarding of fish—is a “legitimate objective” under Faroese law, the legal boundaries remain unclear.

The Data Protection Authority expects to issue a response to the association shortly but has not yet finalised its position.