HB Grandi freezer trawler Venus is now fishing in Russian Barents Sea waters, according to the company’s quality control manager Steindór Sverrisson. He reports that fishing has been fairly slow, with catches consisting mostly of cod and some haddock.
‘I heard from skipper Haraldur Árnason yesterday and he told me that they are alone on these fishing grounds, which doesn’t make searching any easier. They have been getting up to 20 tonnes per day and this has been improving after a slow start,” said Steindór Sverrisson, who also commented that Venus is at the eastern edge of the fishing area after five and a half days’ steaming to get there from Iceland after the ship returned from the Irminger Sea redfish season.
“They were delayed by the Russian Navy, which has been on manoeuvres in the Barents Sea. Large areas were closed to any other shipping, so they had to take a detour to go around the closed zone.”
Home waters quiet
Steindór Sverrisson said that catches have been slow on home fishing grounds, except for those vessels with enough cod quota, while others have to avoid cod as far as possible.
“All of our fresher trawlers are at work on redfish and saithe on the Mountains, which is their normal fishing grounds. Our freezers, apart from Venus which is in the Barents Sea, are fishing on the Westfjords grounds.”
Source: HB Grandi
