‘The year’s got off to an acceptable start on the Westfjords fishing grounds, even though fishing has often been better. The last trip was a good one, with fine fishing and flat calm the whole time. We had 160 tonnes of which around 100 tonnes were cod,’ said Jóhannes Ellert Eiríksson, skipper of Brim’s fresher trawler Viðey.
Viðey has completed three trips so far this year – one on south-western grounds and two off the Westfjords.
‘The first trip of the year was pretty much like a trip through the desert. We were sent to fishing grounds off the south-west, and catches of the species we were looking for were very scarce. We did much better off the Westfjords in the second trip, and had some fine fishing during the last trip,’ he said, commenting that the last trip began in the Thveráll Gully, before shifting to the Heiðardalur grounds. There was good fishing for cod in both areas, and he added that the cod were excellent, averaging 3.5 to 5 kilos.
‘We finished up on the Hali grounds, trying to find some saithe. The results were patchy, but there was plenty of cod everywhere we went,’ Jóhannes Ellert Eiríksson said.
Viðey is already back at sea, which should provide the crew with some a few good days for fishing before the next depression brings forecast warm air and rain to Iceland at the end of this week.
