By sending a formal application for experiment on pearlside HB Grandi intends to send its pelagic vessels onto this fishery next week if a licence is granted. Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson, head of HB Grandi’s pelagic division, is certain that they will see some results from this fishery after experience over the last two seasons has shown that a specially developed trawl from Hampidjan has brought better catches than the trawls that were first tried.
The Ministry decided to add another 25,000 tonnes to the initial 15,000 tonne quota of Icelandic summer-spawning herring this season. This additional quota brings HB Grandi an extra 2800 tonnes, although there will be something of a delay before the company’s vessels go back onto herring. As there had been some uncertainty over whether or not the quota would be increased, the decision was taken to use the down time in production at the company’s factory in Vopnafjördur to carry out minor repairs and maintenance to both the fish production and fishmeal production facilities.
Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson said that the first indications on the state of the capelin stock from the Marine Research Institute are encouraging and he hopes that the research cruise now in progress will show results that will allow capelin fishing to start before the end of the year.
