“A mind-blowing experience”- Pacific Islands Delegation Visits Iceland to Learn from Fisheries Innovation
Between 18–20 June 2025, GRÓ Fisheries Training Programme (GRÓ FTP) hosted a high-level delegation from the Pacific region on a Knowledge-Exchange visit to Iceland. The delegation included the Ministers of Fisheries from Papua New Guinea and Palau, alongside senior officials from the fisheries ministries of Papua New Guinea, Palau, and the Solomon Islands. Representatives from the World Bank also joined the visit.
The purpose of the visit was to explore Iceland’s approach to harnessing economic benefits from the fisheries value chain for the tuna fisheries in the Pacific. Over the three days, the group engaged in a series of discussions with key Icelandic institutions, including the Ministry of Industries, the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI), Directorate of Fisheries, and a range of industry stakeholders, economists, and food-science researchers.
The visit offered a platform for knowledge exchange, the sharing of experiences, and to discuss practical strategies for strengthening the fisheries sector in Pacific Island nations, particularly in areas such as value-added processing and sustainable resource management. Site visits included state-of-the-art processing companies, a fish auction market, and the Icelandic College of Fisheries, which provides technical training for careers in the fisheries sector. A particular highlight was the visit to Vísir and Haustak, where delegates learned about strategies for full utilisation and sustainability and observed innovative uses of geothermal energy in fish processing.
The delegation expressed appreciation for Iceland’s openness and expertise, highlighting the importance of global collaboration in achieving long-term sustainability in the world´s oceans, and concluded that the visit was a “mind-blowing experience.
