Land: Iceland

There are six pelagic vessels now searching for pearlside in the Grindavík Deeps and according to Ingunn AK’s skipper Gudlaugur Jónsson, there isn’t much happening there. Ingunn began fishing last Saturday and catches have been from 100 to 200 tonnes per day.

Capelin production has started at HB Grandi’s factory in Vopnafjördur after Lundey NS landed 680 tonnes late last night. Factory manager Magnús Róbertsson said that the capelin is slightly smaller than the fish that were being landed at the end of last year, but there is no great difference. A good proportion of the fish goes for human consumption and the fish that are graded out are passed to fishmeal production.

In spite of a reduction in quotas, HB Grandi’s trawler crews have done a magnificent job in 2010. Catches landed by the company’s eight trawlers came to approximately 51,500 tonnes with a value of around ISK11.30 billion (FOB). By comparison, the 2009 catch was 47,000 tonnes with a value of ISK9,30 billion.

Icelandic Group has joined hands with Fish Fight, a campaign to end discards led by UK celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and supported by fellow chef Jamie Oliver.

At Vopnafjördur fish plant in Iceland, the freezing of Capelin is in progress with 750 tonnes of species docked last week.

In Iceland strict fishing quotas have affected the fishing industry practices, says a report.