THE Swiss retail industry sent shock waves through the Icelandic fishing industry yesterday when three of its largest supermarkets announced they would no longer sell wild caught cod from that country.

Fish Update 13/08/2008

Together, the three store chains account for about 75 per cent of the chilled white fish market in Switzerland and buy up to 3,000 tones of
Icelandic cod annually. The worry among fishermen is that other stores and that ban could spread to countries,including Britain, which they
think are not environmentally aware enough.

The IcelandReview.com website reports that the Swiss supermarkets claim the wild caught by the Icelanders has not been certified as sustainable.
Hilma Sveinsdóttir, who operates export company Ice-co GmbH., which exports Icelandic cod to Switzerland, said since 2004 her company has encouraged Icelandic authorities and companies with interest in fisheries to have Icelandic seafood products certified as sustainable.

"We have met with the minister of fisheries and other parties of interest but for various reasons people have not been willing to participate in this in response to these Swiss demands," the IcelandReview report adds.

Fridrik J. Arngrímsson, managing director of the Federation of Icelandic Fishing Vessel Owners (LÍU), told Morgunbladid , Reykjavik's main newspaper that propaganda from the World Wildlife Fund was the reason why the three largest Swiss supermarket chains have stopped selling wild Icelandic cod.

Mr Arngrímsson said LIU took the decision very seriously and warned it was an issue as to who was in control - elected governments or environmental groups working through supermarkets.

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