All the indications are for a good cod season this year for coastal fishermen supplying Royal Greenland with catches of live cod. This fishery has been in progress for some years and there are already record volumes of cod in cages for this year.
According to the company, measures have been taken to improve the fishery’s efficiency, including upgrading well boat Tuneq to increase its capacity.
‘Tuneq has been upgraded so its carrying capacity is greater than last year,’ said Sten Sørensen, operations manager responsible for the cod fishery.
‘This year, Tuneq can take 200 tonnes of cod. In addition, it is on its way a month earlier compared to last year. Therefore, we can expect to shorten the waiting time for the fishermen to empty their cages of cod.’
This also means that Tuneq can cover a larger area before returning to the factory in Maniitsoq where the cod is processed into Nutaaq.
There are currently 400 tonnes of cod booked in cages from the fishermen who are part of the Nutaaq fishery, a record for this time of year.
‘Year after year, we have experienced increasing support from the fishermen for Nutaaq, and this year is fortunately no exception. The 400 tonnes of cod booked already demonstrate that we can look forward to the new season,’ Sten Sørensen said.
As in previous years, all cod caught with bottom nets must have been held in cages for 14 days before Royal Greenland purchases them, which improves the quality.
‘The meat becomes firmer and takes on a better colour, which ultimately means more sales and a better price for the fishermen and us,’ he said.
Royal Greenland makes the cages available free of charge to the fishermen. However, it is the fishermen’s own responsibility to look after the fish until they are handed over to Royal Greenland. Once cod have been in the cages for 14 days, fishermen have the option of delivering them directly to the factory or waiting for collection by the well boat.
