Síldarvinnslan’s mackerel production has re-started, just days after the season was thought to be over and the company’s fleet was switching to other fisheries.
Pelagic vessel Beitir is back on mackerel as reports came in of heavy fishing in international waters. The plan had been to switch over to herring.
‘We thought the mackerel season was over. But things change at short notice,’ said Beitir’s skipper Tómas Kárason.
‘Then we heard reports of good fishing in international waters, with hauls of as much as 700 tonnes.’
Production ashore is already underway again as two Greenlandic pelagic vessels landed catches. Polar Ammassak landed 770 tonnes, and 100 tones of fresh mackerel was landed from Polar Amaroq, which freezes the bulk of its catches at sea.
‘It’s a long time since I’ve seen mackerel fishing like we’ve had this summer,’ said Polar Amaroq’s skipper Geir Zoëga.
‘There has been excellent fishing in international waters, close to the Norwegian line. Polar Amaroq and Polar Ammassak have been pair trawling this summer and it works like a dream. We have a few tonnes of quota left and I expect we’ll go and fetch those. I can say that this macerel season has exceeded expectatins,’ he said.
The Neskaupstaður factory’s operations manager Geir Sigurpáll Hlöðversson reported that Polar Ammassak’s fish looks good.
‘The average weight is 550 grams and this is all being wholefrozen. Now Beitir is back on mackerel ground and Vilhelm Thorsteinsson is on the way. Fishing has started slowly and Beitir is searching. It’s been patchy, with some very good hits of fish. We’re pleased to have more mackerel to process, and then there’s the herring to come,’ he said.
