A survey to examine the state of langoustine (nephrops) stocks in waters south of Iceland has been in progress this month, with encouraging results.
The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute is collaborating with fishing companies Vinnslustöðin and Skinney-Thinganes, each of which has provided a vessel as a research platform.
This is a two-stage survey, starting with timed tows at pre-selectd locations, followed by going over known fishing grounds in the same way as during the commercial fishery.
Iceland’s langoustine fishery collapsed over the last decade due to a lack of recruitment, and commercial fishing has been stopped since 2022. Although the reason for this stock crash are unclear, it appears to be due to unusually high water temperatures, combined with a delay in plankton blooms appearing that left newly-hatched langoustine larvae without the nourishment thet need. These circumstances have been observed to have affected monkfish, ling, tusk and sandeel stocks, among others, which are now thought to be making a recovery after some difficult years.
Fishing activity is not believed to be the underlying cause of the langoustine stock’s collapse, and the year classes from 2018 to 2024 have been obsrved to be making a recovery as researchers have identified denser concentrations of langoustine, especially off the south-west of Iceland.
Vinnslustöðin’s trawler Drangavík fished first across the area from Eldey and the Jökull Deeps to east of the Westman Islands, working 90 minute tows and catching nine tubs of langoustine – which was more than had been expected. This was followed by fishing in the Skeiðarár Deeps where the results were substantially better than had been hoped for.
‘We have been all over the Skeiðarár Deeps for two days and there’s good fishing everywhere. This is all small langoustine and things are clearly changing. We have 40 tubs and are still catching,’ said Drangavík’s skipper Kjartan Guðmundson.
The catches of both Drangavík and Skinney-Thinganes trawler Skinney are processed in Hornafjörður.
‘Initially we didn’t expect for any great volume and didn’t want to start production up in two places,’ said Sverrir Haraldsson at Vinnslustöðin.
‘We’re seeing better catches than had been expected. The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute is supporting this initiative and they’ll decide what happens next. This is all done on a precautionary basis. But it’s encouraging to see the recovery that the langoustine stock is clearly making.’
