In connection with the Icelandic Fisheries Exhibition, which will take place in Kópavogur at the end of September, an international conference will be held to discuss the state of coastal settlements, small boat fishing and rural development in the North Atlantic.
Communities in coastal areas and small boating are closely linked in the countries bordering the North Atlantic. In most parts of the area, the sea settlements are under attack and small boat companies are in operational difficulties, as well as the renewal of the industry is limited. These challenges, along with other issues, will be discussed at the conference and seek to analyze the future potential of the North Atlantic coastal communities.
The conference is structured in such a way that representatives from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Newfoundland will first give short lectures on the state of these issues in their countries. A research project will also be presented where the performance and wages of small boat companies in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland are analyzed and compared with other industries. The Icelandic owners of small boat fishing in Norway will report on the operating environment of small boats in Norway, and compare it with Iceland; and finally, the chairman of the board of Byggðarstofnun will report on the work and policy of the institution, but Byggðastofnun has recently reviewed the institution's methodology to perform its role better.
The conference will take place in Smárinn (meeting room on the upper floor of a building that connects Smárinn and Fífun) on Saturday 27 September at 10: 15-14: 00. The conference is held in English, admission is free and open to all, but people are asked to register by sending an email to jonas@matis.is.
More information can be found at www.coastalfisheries.net or at Jónas R. Viðarsson at Matís.