Iceland’s Ministry of Fisheries on Friday set this year’s mackerel quota at 148,000 tonnes.
To this can be added the almost 4000 uncaught tonnes left over from last year’s fishery. The quota applies to Icelandic vessels and can be caught inside the Icelandic EEZ or in international waters. The published regulation states that a limit of 1300 tonnes is set on catches of mackerel that can only be taken as by-catch when fishing for Atlanto-Scandian herring.
The quota has been split between vessel categories, with 105,863 tonnes going to the pelagic fleet. Freezer trawlers get 31,498 tonnes while fresher trawler have an 8128 tonne allocation and handline boats have a 6160 tonne quota, although for inshore vessels the opportunities offered by fishing for mackerel have declined along with the Russian ban on imports and the near-collapse of the Nigerian market in the wake of falling fuel prices.
