Icelandic trawler, Sturia GK 12, has created a minor stir on the Grimsby Fish Market after its first surprise arrival. The reason being its catch which was supplemented the normal containerised supplies from Iceland and the Faroe islands, brought in by container vessels. It is told that Iceland trawlers were a common sight in Grimsby in the 1960s and 1970s, but their visits fell away because it became more economic to land the catches at home.
According to the available information the “Sturia GK12” arrival at Grimsby tested the effectiveness of adding direct delivery to the controlled environment distribution chain pioneered by Hull’s Fishgate Trading Centre. It is expressed that one of a fleet of six modern longliners based at Grindavik in Iceland, “Sturia” carries up to 40,000 hooks on automatically deployed and hauled lines 12 miles long. One of the longliners’ advantages is that they can fish rougher grounds where trawlers cannot risk their nets but where larger fish can be found.
“Sturia’s” skipper, Sigurbjorn Gudmundsson, explained that like most Icelandic crews they follow the “traceability trail” system, recording what they have caught and where and when. He further said that there on-board handling and storage meets the same system criteria so when they land in Iceland our catches continue along the distribution chain with minimal handling.
