Faroe Business Report — The International Review of Faroe Islands Industry and Trade - Faroe Business Report — The International Review of Faroe Islands Industry and Trade

That may not sound like an official job description but in reality, it’s long been part of Kate Sanderson’s daily work agenda. She travels extensively to represent the Faroese government at policy-shaping events across the North Atlantic region, often related to marine affairs and involving international organizations and regional governing bodies.

Ms. Sanderson — Ministry of Foreign Affairs director of Fisheries, Trade and Regional Policy — is chair of the organizing committee behind the Seas the Future: Nordic Oceans Conference 2011, scheduled to be held from June 7th to 8th at the Nordic House in the Faroe Islands.

The idea behind Seas the Future is to put into relief contemporary marine issues with due consideration of the vital interests of North Atlantic islands and coastal communities, according to Ms. Sanderson.

“The Faroe Islands have taken an active role in promoting a strong and integrated Nordic approach to oceans issues,” as noted on the official conference website at seasthefuture.com. “Green economic growth in a changing climate has top priority focus in Nordic cooperation today.”

The purpose of the conference is “to bring the fisheries and maritime sectors more clearly into this focus, with prominent government and industry representatives from a range of sectors sharing their perspectives on the prospects and challenges for sustainable growth in marine–based industries.”

The gathering offers “a high-level forum which will examine the cross-cutting challenges facing coastal and fisheries nations in the Nordic and North Atlantic region when it comes to ensuring sustainable use of the seas and oceans.”

Sponsored by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the event was originally planned for October 2010 as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ contribution to the 2010 Danish presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, under which the Faroe Islands chaired the Nordic Fisheries Cooperation for the first time.

The main themes of the conference are “North Atlantic oceans issues in a globalized world; sustainable growth in marine-based industries — challenges and opportunities; approaches and priorities for cooperation on oceans management; concluding with a high-level panel discussion on sustainable oceans management in the North Atlantic.”


New Nordic Food: “This is not a fisheries conference as such although fisheries issues form an important part of it,” Ms. Sanderson said. “The aim is to create a forum for discussions on oceans issues in a broader sense. It’s about questions such as how do we manage marine-based industries in the best possible way and ensure their sustainability into the future.” One of the high-level representatives to participate at the conference is Árni M. Mathiesen, Assistant Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and former Fisheries Minister of Iceland.

Other participants include representatives from OECD, from the OSPAR Commission, and the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC).

Seas the Future will also coincide with the UN World Oceans Day on 8 June, “providing an additional opportunity to highlight Nordic and North Atlantic perspectives on the ocean in the global context,” in the words of the organizers.

Ms. Sanderson said: “In addition to presentations from the participants, we’ll have discussions on questions like, what may North Atlantic fisheries look like in 30 years? Also the growing significance of aquaculture for food security will be considered, as will the question of harvesting energy from the ocean. The concluding World Oceans Day panel discussion aims to create links with the North Atlantic Fisheries Conference, which convenes immediately after the close of Seas the Future.”

“Perhaps we’ll get some good bycatch,” Ms. Sanderson added. “Quite a few officials and politicians will be there and we hope to be able to achieve some synergies as these events will be held back to back.”

One added benefit to be enjoyed during breaks by those present at the Seas the Future is gourmet refreshments in the style of New Nordic Food. Participants will thus be given a taste of exquisite seafood from the Faroe Islands, prepared in delicious and surprising ways by the renowned Faroese chef, Leif Sørensen.