Herring Wars

Photo by ADT

JoeAnd so, it begins: the great North Atlantic Herring War of '13:

This March, the Faroe Islands unilaterally declared a herring quota of 105,230 tons, three times the amount they would have been allotted under the fisheries management plan. Since the total allowable catch (TAC) for all member nations is only 619,000 tons, the Faroese claim accounts for over 17% of the herring fishery. The European Fisheries Council, under pressure from the UK, responded that, if the Faroese move forward with their self-declared quota, trade sanctions will be imposed against the tiny island nation. Should the sanctions take effect, they will be the first implemented under the new European fisheries management plan and will prevent Faroese fishers from landing or importing catches in EU ports. The sanctions may also prevent all Faroese ships from entering EU ports. The Faroe Islands responded to the threat of sanctions, calling them economic coercion and requesting a return to reasoned debates. The Faroes maintain that the current stock allocation does not account for recent changes in herring distribution and that herring are more abundant in Faroese waters now than when the original management plan was implemented.

In light of the dispute, the Marine Stewardship Council stripped the sustainability certification from Faroese Atlantic herring.

You simply have to love any article which includes the phrase, "In a phenomenon colloquially referred to as the 'Miracle of Fuglafjørður'…".

Herring Wars: Quotas, Conflicts, and Climate Change in the North Atlantic (via BoingBoing).