Urgent Warning for Westfjords Fishing Communities
The board of the Vestfjörður Trade Union is raising serious concerns about the future of smaller fishing communities across the Westfjords. The issue centres on proposed changes that would abolish line concessions and cut settlement quotas — two mechanisms that many of these local economies depend on to survive.
A resolution circulated by the union warns that small-scale fish processing and fishing operations in Vestfjörður could be forced to close altogether, with significant income losses to follow. Up to 176 jobs in the Westfjords are reported to be at risk.
“If these government plans materialize, it would be a devastating blow to the smaller fishing communities in the region,” the resolution states.
The union’s position is straightforward: if the proposed changes go through, fishing and fish processing operations throughout the Westfjords — and in similar coastal areas elsewhere in the country — could shut down without warning. For the families who rely on those jobs, the consequences would be severe.
Preserving Jobs: A Call to Action
Infrastructure Minister Eyjólfur Ármannsson has not yet introduced regulations on the potential abolition of line concessions, a decision that would normally be taken at the start of the fishing season. The Vestfjörður Trade Union’s resolution makes clear that cuts of this kind would fall hardest on fish workers and fishermen — and, the union argues, that pressure is already being felt.
“The government bears a responsibility to prevent such scenarios from unfolding,” the resolution states. “We urge the members of Althingi to step up and safeguard the jobs of our fish workers and fishermen by maintaining the current system of line concessions, providing compensation for shrimp and shellfish, and further bolstering the regional quota.”
With the livelihoods of entire communities on the line, the union’s message to lawmakers could hardly be more urgent.
