According to Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson, head of HB Grandi’s pelagic division, the intention is to use as much as possible of the company’s capelin quota for the roe fishery, which means that he does not expect fishing to start until mid-February. The company’s production plants at Akranes and Vopnafjördur are well equipped to handle roe capelin and catches are expected to be landed at both locations. Capelin roe prices have been favourable in recent years. This should make it possible to extract a relatively high value from this year’s limited quotas.
‘We mustn’t forget that there is always hope that the Marine Research Institute will be able to locate larger concentrations of capelin when the fish find their way into shallow waters at the end of this month. We’re just hoping for the best,’ said Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson, and commented that in 2005, which was the first year of the company’s operation in its present form, HB Grandi had a 144,000 tonne capelin quota.
