Economic Dimensions of the Bioeconomy: Case Study of Iceland

The term bioeconomy has attracted increasing attention over the last decade. It is considered to encompass all economic activity connected with the utilisation of renewable biological resources. The renewable biological resources are of particular interest since they offer sustainable utilisation, which ensures non-decreasing welfare for future generations. The objectives with this analysis were to define the bioeconomy, consider the economic dimensions of the bioeconomy, and use these to analyse the Icelandic bioeconomy. A literary review of the bioeconomy was performed to consider the origin of the term and find a definition. The definition chosen is in synchrony with previous work undertaken by the European Commission and underlines the connection to renewable biological resources. Economic theory was used to propose indicators for the economic dimensions of the bioeconomy, which are value added, part of GDP, labour and capital productivity, exports and part of total export value. The theory of base industries was used to consider if these indicators underestimated the contribution of the bioeconomy to the economy. Principal components analysis and cluster analyses were then used to decide if the economic dimension could be reduced. The analyses indicate that the economic dimension could be reduced to two. The results show that the bioeconomy in Iceland has a direct contribution of 13% to GDP, where the biggest contribution is from the fishing industry. It has previously been stated that the fishing industry is a base industry in Iceland, and has a total contribution of 26% to GDP. This indicates that the total contribution of the bioeconomy to GDP is around 30%. The Icelandic bioeconomy is a relatively big part of the economy compared to other Nordic countries. The bioeconomies of Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland seem to differ from the bioeconomies of other Nordic countries

Discarded fish in European waters: general patterns and contrasts

To reduce the practice of discarding commercially fished organisms, several measures such as a discard ban and extra allowances on top of landings quotas (“catch quota”) have been proposed by the European Commission. However, for their development and successful implementation, an understanding of discard patterns on a European scale is needed. In this study, we present an inter-national synthesis of discard data collected on board commercial, towed-gear equipped vessels operating under six different national flags spanning from the Baltic to the Mediterranean Seas mainly between 2003 and 2008. We considered discarded species of commercial value such as Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), European hake (Merluccius merluccius), and European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa). Comparisons of discard per unit effort rates expressed as numbers per hour of fishing revealed that in the Mediterranean Sea minimum size-regulated species such as hake are generally discarded in much lower numbers than elsewhere. For most species examined, variability in discard rates across regions was greater than across fisheries, suggesting that a region-by-region approach to discard reduction would be more relevant. The high uncertainty in discard rate estimates suggests that current sampling regimes should be either expanded or complemented by other data sources, if they are to be used for setting catch quotas.S

How can discards in European fisheries be mitigated? Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of potential mitigation methods

A number of solutions, with varying efficiency, have been proposed to mitigate discards. In this paper twelve mitigation measures were reviewed by their strengths and weaknesses, along with opportunities and threats, they might entail. How mitigation methods could either support or counteract others was also reviewed. The analyses of the mitigation measures are based on expert knowledge and experience and supported with existing literature. Discarding is highly variable and is influenced by numerous biological, technical and operational factors as well as social and economic drivers. These influences need to be carefully considered when designing management approaches. Finally, all reforms must be carefully considered within the context of a broader management system. The full management system needs to be thought of coherently to create an incentive framework that motivates fishers to avoid unwanted catches. It is only in this setting that discard mitigation methods may be potentially effectiveVersión del editor1,865

Future Opportunities for Bioeconomy : Focus on the West Nordic Region

This final report provides an overview of bioresources in the West Nordic region focusing on Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, their utilisation and future opportunities based on green growth. The report provides good basis for strategic identification of beneficial projects in the region. Based on the results, a specific action plan has been formed consisting of four main actions; 1. Create a West Nordic Bioeconomy panel, 2. Establish an interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence (CoE) for the West Nordic region, 3. Arctic bioeconomy II – Project focusing on opportunities in biotechnology and 4. Program focusing on “The Blue Bioeconomy”

Discarded fish in European waters: general patterns and contrasts

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