This year’s month-long survey of the capelin stock in the Iceland-East Greenland-Jan Mayen area is now underway. These surveys have been conducted since 1978 and underpin scientific advice ahead of the winter capelin fishery.
The 2026 capelin autumn survey commenced on 23rd August and will continue through to the 24th September. This is a joint effort conducted by the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFWI) in Iceland and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR).
Greenlandic research vessel Tarajoq began its work last south-west of Iceland, while Icelandic research vessel Árni Friðriksson joins the survey on 8th September.
Tarajoq’s survey is scheduled to take 16 days, while Árni Friðriksson is expected to be at sea for 17 days. In total, the two vessels are expected to cover 6084 nautical miles.
The survey aims to estimate the abundance of both immature and mature capelin in Iceland-East Greenland-Jan Mayen waters.
Since 2018, the survey has been adapted into a collaborative ecosystem survey, allowing researchers to collect additional information on capelin biology and the surrounding pelagic ecosystem. It involves sampling and measurements of phytoplankton (under the PHATE project), mesozooplankton, macrozooplankton, pelagic fish species and the physical environment in the area.
The results of the capelin measurements are expected to be available around mid-October. MFRI will then release revised fishing advice for the coming 2026-27 fishing year.
On 22nd August, researchers from both institutions held a joint workshop to align procedures across both vessels, including quality control of the acoustic and fish data collected.
