Faroe Islands lead Nordic Fisheries Cooperation in 2026 – Workshop on marine spatial planning

Eva Andrésen
10 minutes ago
2 min read

The Faroe Islands hold the chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ fisheries cooperation in 2026. In this connection, the Ministry of Fisheries and Trade will host a workshop on marine spatial planning at the Nordic House in Tórshavn on Wednesday, 11 March 2026.

Interest in using marine areas for a range of purposes is growing rapidly — including aquaculture, fisheries, renewable energy production, and marine conservation. At the same time, ocean space is limited, creating a need to coordinate different interests and ensure that activities are conducted sustainably and with proper consideration for nature and the environment.

Several Nordic countries are already working systematically with marine spatial planning to:

ensure the best possible use of marine areas,
reduce pressure and potential conflicts, and
coordinate different forms of activity.

In the Faroe Islands, the interaction between various marine interests is already well known — including aquaculture, fishing, and pilot projects related to tidal energy. The question of how future use of Faroese marine space should be organized is therefore becoming increasingly relevant.

These issues will be placed firmly in focus during the 11 March workshop.

Programme Highlights

Kerstin Bly Joyce, Senior Research Advisor at Nordregio, will present an overview of the situation across the Nordic region, with emphasis on marine spatial planning where green energy and blue food production coexist.
Hilmar Høgenni, Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Culture and Trade, will present the current situation in Faroese waters.
Martin Smit, Senior Advisor in the Marine Division of the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, will discuss Norway’s national marine spatial plan and share experiences from their ongoing work. (This presentation will be delivered digitally.)
Tine Due Hansen from the Nordic Council of Ministers will outline Nordic projects in the field.

Following the presentations, participants will break into working groups to discuss how the Nordic Council of Ministers can further support the development of marine spatial planning across the Nordic region.

(Mynd 📸 FISK.fo)

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