The capelin season in Iceland is coming to an end, with a short, successful roe fishery to finish it off for this year.
‘We have caught the roughly 18,000 tonnes we had allocated and the season has gone well,’ said Sindri Viðarsson who heads the pelagic division of Westman Islands company Vinnslustöðin.
‘It’s positive to see capelin apparently widespread and hopefully that leads to strong recruitment. Next we and our customers have to work to rebuild the market.’
The last capelin of the season for the Westman Islands was landed by Gullberg, after a successful trip.
‘We searched first close to the islands but didn’t manage to shoot away. Then we were off Reykjanes and Garðsskagi, where there was nothing to be seen. We finally had a good shot south of Snæfellsnes and took 800 tonnes, followed by a 600-tonne shot,’ said skipper Jón Atli Gunnarsson.
‘There were two migrations off the south coast and the second was larger, which is unusual. Then there was a migration from the west. There’s been a lot of capelin, and more than has been seen for a long time. There are clearly good prospects for the next three to four years, going by what we have observed,’ he said.
‘There’s always an excitement around this fishery. The weather plays an important role and we often have to play things by ear. You also have to watch the gear, as the capelin marks can sometimes be so thick that it rips the gear.’
The Síldarvinnslan fleet has also finished its season, with the last landings processed for roe.
‘This was a short but good capelin season,’ said Beitir’s skipper Tómas Kárason.
‘Fishing went well and the weather was favourable. We fished this last trip south of Malarríf. The catch was taken in five shots from 100 up to 600 tonnes. The capelin we’re landing is full of roe and the majority of fish are female. That means plenty of activity in the plant’s roe production.’
