“Veiði og verndun!” it is

Well over a hundred and fifty people attended the round table conference we organized last week in Reykjavik’s cinema, Háskólabíó. By means of factual and compact presentations speakers from miscellaneous organizations and institutes went into a wide range topics, covering many aspects of how Iceland’s watersheds have been and are being used, and emphasized both their interests and their concerns in this respect. All present acknowledged and confirmed that Iceland’s wild salmonids, in fact, represent a heritage that might be at severe risk if attitudes don’t change, both with stakeholders –direct and indirect- and the public at large. What’s more, all agreed that it’s about time to come up with joint and supported solutions, which will lead to a different approach of the resources and to a responsible and sustainable use thereof.

Many a discussion and meeting followed the Conference and the days thereafter, about just as many projects, running and new ones. We shall keep you posted about progress once they have taken more shape, or have been crystallized further. One thing has been agreed upon already, and unanimously: next year we shall organize another such conference, again right before the official beginning of the season, but then on a much broader scale.

More feedback on the Conference is available on Continental Trout-Iceland’s facebook page (in Icelandic). Our thanks to all who made this event happen, and to those who attended it!