ANNONCER
From November 1 – 3, stand B909 at the 16th China Fisheries & Seafood Expowill provide a showcase for a range of Marel systems and solutions, some of which have been specifically developed for the local market.
Víkingur AK is now on route to Vopnafjördur with 1000 tonnes of large, top-quality capelin on board that was caught over two nights in Greenland waters. According to mate Gudmundur Hafsteinsson, conditions on the fishing grounds are fine with strong capelin marks over a wide area, although the marks could be tighter.
Marel has concluded a contract with Chinese processor Pacific Andes to design, build and install a new processing system for use at the company’s plant in Qingdao.
The time of year when pelagic pair trawling for herring is the most effective method is here. According to Gudlaugur Jónsson, skipper of Ingunn AK, fishing has been very good and production at the Vopnafjördur factory has also been going well now that the flow of raw material has been resumed after a spell of bad weather at the end of last week that interrupted fishing.
HB Grandi’s Vopnafjördur factory has more than doubled its production of mackerel products for human consumption this year, compared to last year’s season. Approximately 11,000 tonnes of mackerel products have been frozen at the Vopnafjördur plant, compared to around 5000 tonnes last year.
Traceability and marine scales will be the focus for Marel at this year‘s DanFish International fisheries exhibition, to be staged in Aalborg, Denmark, from October 12 – 14.
Representatives of the Icelandic Government had meetings on whaling in Washington D.C. last Friday with the U.S. State Department and the offices of the Alaskan Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich. The objective of the meetings was to react to the certification of Iceland by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce under the so-called Pelly Amendment and to inform the U.S. Government and Congress about the Icelandic whaling policy. This week the U.S. President will take position regarding the certification letter of the Secretary of Commerce who recommended that diplomatic actions be taken against Iceland due to its whaling activities.
‘Both herring and mackerel are moving quickly and as an example, we were fishing on a very good mark we found off Glettinganes three days ago. The marks were very strong and in three days we have followed this shoal as it has shifted around 100 nautical miles, first east and then south-east. Yesterday we towed for 30 nautical miles south-east and there was plenty to be seen. But in the evening it was as if everything disappeared. At first we thought the fish had dropped down to 100 fathoms, which isn’t unusual, but that wasn’t what had happened.’
Iceland Responsible Fisheries (IRF) is participating in ICEFISH 2011, promoting the IRF programme, the certification and the way forward in marketing of Icelandic seafood.
There has been some strong fishing on mackerel through August, so HB Grandi’s pelagic vessels are already close to finishing their mackerel quotas. According to Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson at the company’s pelagic division, there remains only around 2000 tonnes to be caught.