Knowledge Shared Across Borders

Fifteen participants from the GRÓ Fisheries Training Programme, along with two staff members from the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, are currently visiting Akureyri as part of a study trip. The visit forms part of the participants’ tour of northern Iceland, with a focus on Icelandic fisheries, fisheries management, fisheries policy, and the relationship between fisheries and local communities.

The programme includes a wide range of lectures and field visits. Among other activities, the participants have attended presentations on Icelandic fisheries and fisheries management at the University of Akureyri and visited the Herring Era Museum in Siglufjörður, Rammi, Reykhúsið in Skútustaðir, Samherji and the fish market in Dalvík, Sæplast, the Whale Museum, and GPG in Húsavík. The programme also covers the economics of fisheries and the assessment of the impacts of fisheries policies.

This year’s GRÓ Fisheries Training Programme cohort includes 17 participants from ten countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. They specialise in three areas: fisheries policy and management, stock assessment and monitoring, and sustainable aquaculture.

Some participants to remain in Akureyri

Following the study trip in northern Iceland, six participants from Kenya, Indonesia, Malawi, Liberia, Jamaica, and Sierra Leone will remain in Akureyri for further study and project work until February. This is the sixth year that participants from the GRÓ Fisheries Training Programme have stayed in Akureyri as part of the programme.

The collaboration between the University of Akureyri and the GRÓ Fisheries Training Programme has created a strong international network in the field of fisheries and provides both participants and UNAK staff with opportunities to share knowledge and experience across borders.

The project in Akureyri is coordinated by Hreiðar Þór Valtýsson, Associate Professor, and Magnús Víðisson, Adjunct Lecturer, from the Faculty of Natural Resources.