The winners of the 2024 Icelandic Fisheries Bursary Awards have been announced at a special ceremony, held at the Brúin in the Iceland Ocean Cluster, Reykjavik.
Following the 2014 Icelandic Fisheries Exhibition, newly-branded as the Icelandic Fisheries, Seafood & Aqua Exhibition, the organisers of the exhibition recognised the need to reinvest in the future of the fishing sector and introduced bursaries awarded to those currently in education within the fishing sector. The first bursaries were awarded in 2017.
This year’s three winners – Klaudia Magdalena Lenkiewicz, Beata Mroz and Þórdís Ýr Snjólaugardóttir – are all students at the Icelandic College of Fisheries in Grindavik. They were awarded ISK 300,000 each towards their respective courses.
“It is with great pleasure and pride that Mercator Media Ltd is back to again present the Icelandic Fisheries Bursary Awards to worthy students, providing them financial support to either specialise in Marel processing, fish farming or quality control,” said Marianne Rasmussen-Coulling, Events Director at Mercator Media, organiser of the Icelandic Fisheries, Seafood & Aqua Exhibition 2024.
“Commercial fishing and aquaculture are principal industries for Icelanders, tirelessly seeking for excellence and it is important to constantly strengthen the education and knowledge of those who work in that sector. We wish the winners the best of luck and hope that they will contribute to the prosperous Icelandic fishing industry for years to come with their expertise, skills and education.”
The applications were assessed by a specialist judging panel from the industry, including Klemenz Sæmundson, Headmaster of the Icelandic College of Fisheries; Sigurjón Elíasson, former Learning and Development Manager at Marel; Hrefna Karlsdóttir, Fisheries management and International affairs at Fisheries Iceland; Örn Pálsson, Manager, National Association of Small Boat Owners; and Bjarni Þór Jónsson, Icelandic representative for Mercator Media/The Icelandic Fisheries, Seafood and Aqua Exhibition.
Established in the port of Grindavík in 2010, the Icelandic College of Fisheries’ vision is to meet the current requirements of the national fishing and processing industries through the production of suitably trained staff. The college offers training for deck crews, fishing vessel deckhands and shore-based industries.
Fishing gear technology apprenticeships are also offered in association with the Suðurnes Comprehensive College in Reykjanesbær. The initial courses have since been expanded to include more in-depth, specialised courses of study, which include Quality Control, Fish Processing and Fish Farming and it is these that the IceFish bursary specifically supports.
The 14th Icelandic Fisheries, Seafood and Aqua Exhibition is taking place on 18-20 September 2024 at the Smárinn, Fifan Halls, Kópavogur, Iceland.
