Byrne was in the country taking part in the World Seafood Congress this week in Reykjavik, seeing examples of Iceland’s processing capabilities
and varied fish and related products.
It was an opportunity to speak directly with industry representatives, he said, when asked by The Telegram about making the trek — a stop on the way home from a personal holiday.
“Beyond that (general discussion), this is one of the most interesting times in the industry itself and we are all looking for examples of best
practices as we transform our Newfoundland and Labrador industry near-exclusively from a shellfish to a mixed fishery — both shellfish and
groundfish — and potentially, eventually to a much greater concentration of groundfish,” he said.
Byrne said Iceland is known in the fisheries world as a “beacon of knowledge and experience and wisdom, in particular in groundfish,” and
perhaps more importantly for being open to sharing knowledge and experiences.
“So from my point of view — and clearly, given the participation, from the Newfoundland and Labrador industry’s point of view — this was the
right place to be at this critical juncture in the evolution of our fishing industry,” he said, following time at the offices of RSF, the
company responsible for the Icelandic fish market auction system.
The World Seafood Congress is also being attended by representatives from Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Association of Seafood Producers.
