Presentations about cod products from Iceland were recently held at two culinary schools, Escuela de Cocina Luis Irizar and Basque Culinary Center, in San Sebastián/Donostia, Spain.
Seafood and aquaculture products from Iceland were recently introduced at a presentation in Amsterdam, organised by Dutch distribution company Versvishandel Jan van As, a partner to Iceland Responsible Fisheries (IRF).
The assessment team recommended that the management system of the applicant fisheries under state management by the Icelandic Ministry of Industries and Innovation, fished directly by demersal trawl (main gear), lont-line, gill net, Danish seine net, and hook and line by small vessel gear and indirectly with Nephrops, shrimp and pelagic trawls and purse seines within Iceland's 200 nautical miles EEZ, is granted continued certification, and confirmed continued certification.
Nineteen chefs recently visited Iceland to learn about fishing and food culture in Iceland, and to get inspiration about cooking seafood from Iceland. The group travelled South Iceland, including Vestmannaeyjar (the Westman Islands), and visited fish processing plants. Two chefs from the national culinary team of Iceland, held a cooking seminar,
Reykjavík and Iceland were in the limelight at the La Mercé festival, September 22-25, during which two million people attended 600 events around the city. Bacalao de Islandia and DAMM brewery collaborated on a Islandia al Plat. Fourteen restaurants served dishes made from "Bacalao de Islandia" complemented with DAMM’s Inedit beer for 5 Euros only.
The comment period for submission of comments on the final draft of Iceland Responsible Fisheries Management Chain of Custody Standard, revision 3.0, was from 8 May to 6 July.
This is important as the adoption of harvest control rule, or comparable methodology, is a prerequisite for IRF certification. Fishing for these three species is in a pre-certification process, cf. IRF Fisheries Management Standards. Therefore, there is a high likelihood that full certification will be granted for these species in the near future.
The Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture has decided on total catches in Icelandic waters for the next fishing year, 2017/2018, which will begin 1 September. The cod quota is increased to 257,572 tonnes from 244,000 tonnes. There is also an increase in quota for haddoc, from 34,600 to 41,390 tonnes, and saithe from 55,000 to 60,237 tonnes. It should be noted that the catch quota for important pesticides will be decided in the autumn.The decision is in accordance with the scientific advice of the Marine Research Institute. The decision on catch quotas is taken after consultation with stakeholders in the fisheries sector, the government, and members of parliament.