Over the 2019-2020 quota year (1st Sept-31st Aug) the trawlers operated by Síldarvinnslan and its Bergur-Huginn subsidiary landed a total of 20,800 tonnes of groundfish.
It has been a tough year, with extended periods of bad weather during the autumn of 2019 and last winter was even worse, keeping the fleet tied up for long periods. The Bergur-Huginn vessels didn’t get to sea after the Christmas stopover until mid-January due to non-stop heavy weather.
The tough winter was followed by the drop in the demand for fresh fish due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the fresher trawlers kept at minimum activity from March through to May, with practically no fresh exports unless sold in advance.
In spite of these challenges, the fleet has landed more than 20,000 tonnes of groundfish.
Freezer trawler Blængur was at the top of the chart with 7300 tonnes, doing well on redfish and Greenland halibut as well as landing a 1430 tonne trip of mainly cod from the Barents Sea, and fresher trawler Gullver landed 5300 tonnes.
The smaller trawlers run under the Bergur-Huginn banner also had a strong year, with new vessels joining the fleet and an older one being retired.
The new Vestmannaey joined the fleet in October last year and has landed 3300 tonnes, while Bergey was taken into operation in January and its catch totals 2900 tonnes. The two new trawlers have between them landed 6200 tonnes of groundfish during the 2019-20 quota year.
Smáey was also fishing for Bergur-Huginn up to February, before being leased to Samherji and finally sold to new owners Thorbjörn in May. During its last few months with the company, Smáey landed 2000 tonnes.
During the 2019-20 quota year, Síldarvinnslan also leased in 1205 tonnes of quota, all of which was caught with the exception of a small amount of flatfish.
