With the first big capelin season for years behind them, the Icelandic pelagic fleet is no gearing up for the blue whiting fishery, and the first pelagic vessels have already sailed.
Síldarvinnslan’s Börkur sailed last weekend, and skipper Hjörvar Hjálmarsson reported that their first call was in Fuglafjørður in the Faroe Islands to pick up new trawl doors and make some adjustments on board.
‘There has been some fishing south of the grey zone, but the fish don’t seem to have made their way that far in any amounts so far,’ he said.
‘There are some Russians and a couple of Faroese fishing in the grey zone but they haven’t had much yet. We’re waiting for the heavy northwards migration. This time last year we had already started in the grey zone, but it seems later this year. Now most of the Faroese fleet is getting ready and the Icelandic pelagic boats are coming, There’s going to be quite a fleet there in a few days when the fish turn up,’ he said.
Beitir is now also at sea, while Bjarni Ólafsson is on the slipway in Tórshavn and Barði is at the shipyard in Akureyri.
