Aquaculture needs clear legal framework, industry leader says

Aquaculture needs a clearer regulatory framework to improve predictability, Gunnþór Ingvason, chairman of the Federation of Icelandic Fishing Companies, told mbl.is in an interview published in the 200 Miles fishing year-end edition.

“There has been considerable conflict and debate about its future structure, and unfortunately the work on comprehensive legislation governing the operating environment for aquaculture was not completed,” Ingvason said.

He said the sector showed how excessive fees could weaken an industry. Aquaculture is a young, rapidly growing sector that requires substantial investment, he said, but it has also suffered setbacks and lost significant amounts of money.

“The question is how much tolerance there will be if people fail to establish a proper regulatory framework and moderate, reasonable fees,” Ingvason said.

He said it was regrettable that draft legislation, which had been ready shortly before the end of the last parliamentary session, had not been passed. He hoped the government and Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament, would return to the issue during the autumn session and complete the work.

“I simply hope that the government and Alþingi, whether they have a majority or minority, can agree on a comprehensive operating environment and legal framework for an industry as large as aquaculture, which is also one of the main growth sectors in Icelandic business today,” he said.