Director-General’s Iceland Visit Focuses On Salmon Genetics, Renewable Energy And The Blue Economy
27 September 2025, Reykjavik: Director-General QU Dongyu paid a two-day official visit to Iceland during which he visited cutting-edge enterprises in aquaculture and renewable energy and other related sectors.
Qu led the FAO delegation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and participated in a discussion on the work of “GRÓ”, a locally-based organization operating under UNESCO that provides capacity building training in fisheries, gender equality, geothermal energy and land restoration to professionals from developing and post-conflict countries.
His first appointment on Wednesday was with executives at Benchmark Genetics, which operates a salmon genetics facility that produces high-quality ova, or salmon eggs, that are raised to broodstock and shipped globally to supply land-based salmon farming operations.
Qu also visited the Marine Research Institute, which conducts research in the marine environment and fisheries and has an advisory role on the sustainable use and protection of marine resources in Icelandic waters.
He visited Brim Seafood, a fish processing factory, where he met with the Chief Executive officer and head of the company’s innovation and climate change activities.
The Director-General proceeded to tour the “Ocean Cluster”, a group of entrepreneurs, businesses and researchers focused on extracting all the value from fish and pursuing a “no waste” approach to marine resources along with innovation in the blue economy.
Qu’s visit included a meeting with Her Excellency President Halla Tómasdótti, and other bilateral meetings with several ministers. He signed a Memorandum of Understanding covering the next five years of collaboration between FAO and Iceland with Her Excellency Hanna Katrin Fredriksen, Minister of Industries.
At a dinner hosted by the Minister of Industries on behalf of the Government of Iceland, together with other senior officials, the Director-General praised Iceland as a pioneer of sustainability and noted its catalytic role in many of the milestones in responsible fisheries agreements over the past eighty years, noting that Iceland was one of the 36 funding members of the Organization.
On Thursday, Qu also met with senior executives of the Hellisheiði Geothermal Plant, known for its innovative “Carbfix” project for capturing carbon dioxide. Buoyed by the country’s active volcanic areas, more than a quarter of Iceland’s total electricity comes from geothermal energy sources.
Capping his visit, the Director-General visited the Gullfoss, Geysir and Þingvellir National Park, known for their striking erupting geothermal geysers and a site where tectonic plates meet.
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