Síldarvinnslan’s fresher trawler Gullver docked a few days before Christmas to land its final trip of the year; 70 tonnes of mainly cod, and bringing its 2018 tally to 6100 tonnes – making it the trawler’s best ever year.
Manager Adolf Guðmundsson commented that the next best year for Gullver was a 4300 tally, and most year’s catches have been 3100 to 3300 tonnes, although that changed when it came into Síldarvinnslan’s owership and this year has been exceptionally good, considering it also included a four-week break for the main engine to be stripped down.
‘For this kind of success it’s essential to have a good crew, and the quota have to be available,’ Adolf Guðmundsson said.
Gullver’s skippers are Rúnar L. Gunnarsson and Thórhallur Jónsson, and they are naturally more than happy with the year’s landings.
According to Rúnar Gunnarsson, this kind of fishing places demands on the crew and it has to be remembered that Gullver is a veteran trawler, delivered new to Seyðisfjörður in 1983.
‘We have mainly been fishing on our usual grounds, although we had three or four trips to the Selvogur Bank in the autumn. Towards winter we shifted further north. Altogether, fishing has been good all through the year, and for part of the year we Gullver former skipper Jónas Jónsson sailing with us as mate in October and one of Síldarvinnslan’s most experienced skippers, Steinthór Hálfdanarson, sailing as mate at the end of the year. It doesn’t do any harm to have that kind of experience on board,’ he said.
Thórhallur Jónsson agreed, commenting that this year has been all about good fishing, and no problems.
‘The year has been steady, with the exception of December. The end of the year has brought heavy weather and that affects the fishing. Most trips have been three to four days for an average of 95 tonnes, and that’s not bad,’ he said.
‘We have also never done as many trips in one year, and that’s 64 altogether. In the past Gullver usually did 40 trips a year. so we have been fishing hard and the results have been good. To get that kind of result everything has to work together, enough quota, favourable weather and a good crew,’ Thórhallur Jónsson said.
