Kjartan was throughout his professional life committed to fisheries science and management in its many forms and maintained throughout his career close contact with ICES and its Secretariat.
He graduated in marine ecology from the University of Copenhagen in 1969 and began working as a fisheries scientist at the Danish Institute for Fisheries Research, and from 1971 at the Faroese Institute Fiskrannsóknarstovan.
During his career as a fisheries scientist he chaired the Demersal Committee and in the period 1980-1982 he chaired the Advisory Committee for Fishery Management (ACFM). In 1982 he joined the ICES Secretariat as Statistician and Secretary for the the ACFM. In 1986 he returned to the Faroe Islands as Director for Fisheries. In 1996 he took the post as Executive Secretary for the Nordic Cooperation organisation NORA and in 2001 he became Executive Secretary for the Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC), a post he held until he retired in 2011.
Kjartan never forgot his scientific background and was a steady support for ICES. He was very well respected for his ability to unite science with the political and economic realities that are integral parts of fisheries management. He was always constructive in searching for solutions that were politically palpable while respecting the science and the structures in the industry. He worked with personal integrity and was highly respected in all circles.
ICES has lost a friend. Fisheries management has lost a person who helps finding hard sought solutions. We send our deepest sympathy and sincere condolences to his wife Ingrunn and the family.
