Great interest from the industry''s global manufacturers and suppliers has been growing in the Icelandic Fisheries Exhibition 2005 as Iceland is one of the few remaining nations in the European zone that is not ruled under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
With a country of some 260,000 inhabitants a staggering 62% of exports come from fish or fish related products representing significant GDP and not bound by EU restrictions, it is hardly surprising that Iceland landed 2.3 million tonnes of fish in the year 2003.
Marianne Rasmussen, Event Manager of the show said: "We have experienced this trend first hand. Iceland is home to 1,872 registered fishing vessels many with on board processing facilities. This coupled with an onshore processing and marketing infrastructure that is being continually updated we have found that running the exhibition once every three years is perfect for this market. This year in particular a favourable exchange rate is attracting many overseas companies in conjunction with the attention Iceland is getting from being outside the EU."
Grant Collier, Marketing Manager of the exhibition added: "Despite restricted markets in Europe, within six months of the exhibition taking place in September an incredible 92% of the available space has already been booked." He also explained that since the first Icefish in 1984, the show has grown dramatically to become one of the commercial fishing's largest events. "We have experienced huge demand from both existing and new international and national companies," he concluded.
Iceland is home to some of the most sophisticated technical equipment and onboard processing. The last event in 2002 boasted visitors totalling 18,000 with over 800 exhibiting companies.
In addition to the exhibition a Reception hosted by the City of Kopavogur and Ministry of Fisheries will take place on the Wednesday evening including an awards sponsored by Islandsbanki and Sjova Almennar, leaving the Friday night free for an exhibitor party sponsored by Eimskip.
Fishing heritage
The Ministry of Fisheries and the Ministry of Education of Iceland have launched a school project Fishing --past, present and future, in an attempt to expand the understanding and knowledge for Icelandic youngest generations of the importance of fisheries as the basis of the country's economic life. At the same time it tries to draw adults' attention to the fishing industry. Each school participating in the show is asked to submit a fisheries site on the school's website. The Ministry of Fisheries' homepage will carry a section with links to all projects entered into the competition from the first weekend in June. The project winners will be invited to visit the Icelandic Fisheries Exhibition and have a chance to win prizes sponsored by Landsbanki.
For further information on the Icelandic Fisheries Exhibition 2005, or entering the awards, please e-mail marianne.nexus@btinternet.com or visit www.icefish.is
