There’s plenty to keep the staff of HB Grandi’s fishmeal plant in Vopnafjörður busy for the next few days with 4000 tonnes of blue whiting landings yesterday and last night.
Víkungur docked yesterday morning with approximately 1800 tonnes on board. Venus was due with 2200 tonnes and skipper Róbert Axelsson expected to be alongside last night.
‘We have been fishing in the Faroese zone and fishing has been patchy. The blue whiting is fairly dispersed and you need long tows, up to 20 hours, to get a decent catch. Our biggest haul this trip was 400 tonnes and the best fishing is after dusk falls. Fishing has been best in the evening and during the night, with not much to be had during the day,’ Róbert Axelsson said, adding that there have not been many Icelandic trawlers on the fishing grounds, but there have been some Faroese and Dutch pelagic vessels there.
Weather conditions have made things difficult for fishermen on the blue whiting grounds. After the last storm passed through, the weather improved and the fishing with it, but he said that there are heavy storms at intervals.
‘There’s a storm forecast for tonight and tomorrow, so it’s as well to take that opportunity to land our fish. We should be ready to be back at sea tonight or tomorrow, and it’ll take around 15-16 hours to pump all our fish ashore,’ Róbert Axelsson said.
