Síldarvinnslan’s factory trawler Blængur is alongside in Neskaupstaður after a 40-day trip for a green weight catch of 928 tonnes and a catch value of ISK413 million. Of the 40 days of the trip to the Barents Sea, 33 were spent fishing.
‘Fishing was slow and it’s work that demands patience. We took a hundred tows, with an average of 9 tonnes per haul, or an average catch per towing hour of 1560kg,’ said skipper Sigurður Hörður Kristjánsson, adding that the catch is 90% cod.
‘Production went well, with most of the catch processed into high-value packaging.’
The trip took Blængur across a variety of Norwegian fishing grounds, and weather was decent the whole time, apart from a spell of heavy weather towards the end of the trip.
‘We had some dealings with Norwegian enforcement and had a boarding at the end of the trip to check everything. We also needed their help this trip, as we had a crewman who was taken ill. They responded very quickly. The helicopter was there within 40-50 minutes of our request, and the crewman was taken ashore for treatment. It’s great to have that kind of top-level support,’ he said.
Blængur is heading back to sea this week and this time on home grounds, with the focus on finding saithe and Greenland halibut.
