Síldarvinnslan’s processing plants in Neskaupstaður and Seyðisfjörður have been kept busy with a series of heavy blue whiting landings.
Börkur docked yesterday, landing part of its 3000 tonne payload to the Neskaupstaður and the remainder to the Seyðifjörður plant. Vilhelm Thorsteinsson followed with 2700 tonnes landed in Seyðisfjörður, while Beitir was close behind with 2500 tonnes landed to the Neskaupstaður fishmeal facility.
According to Börkur’s skipper Hálfdan Hálfdanarson, fishing is in the grey zone at the south-eastern corner of the Faroese EEZ.
‘Fishing went well, although it’s not as full-on as it was last year. We’ve been taking one haul a day, so these are long tows. There were eight tows in this trip, with 350-450 tonnes per tow,’ he said.
‘It makes a difference that the weather was absolutely fine the whole time. But that’s changed now and there’s been heavy weather for the last two days and not much point being out there.’
He commented that last year they fished for blue whiting almost to the end of January, and in years when there has been no fishery for capelin the blue whiting has last them into February.
‘Normally the best fishing is right after new year, after which it slows down,’ he said, as Börkur was ready to sail again as soon as the catch had been discharged.
