A fisheries microcosm

After settling in the programme and adjusting to winter conditions in Iceland, the newly arrived 2024-25 cohort of fellows spent their second week drawing up a general outline of the status of world fisheries and aquaculture.

Amongst topics covered in morning seminars were oceanography, fish biology, stock assessment, fishing and aquaculture technology, fish handling and processing and last, but not least, fisheries in a historical perspective.

This all was accompanied by tutorials on data management and professional communications.

During a "field day" on Wednesday the fisheries microcosm in and around the Hafnarfjörður harbour was explored.

First, MFRI staff introduced the fellows to some of the institute’s key research facilities, such as the wet-lab where they were shown how data is collected from samples and stored inside a data base.

They also had the opportunity to learn about the institute’s expeditions on board Árni Friðriksson.

This was followed by a walk to a nearby fish company, Hólmasker. The owner, together with his staff, described to the fellows how the processing line operates and how it is optimised for high quality haddock fillets for the US market.

The field day ended with a visit to the Directorite of Fisheries to learn about monitoring and surveillance activities in the Icelandic fisheries sector.

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