‘Everyone’s looking for saithe and it’s not easy to find. On the other hand, there’s plenty of every other species, such as golden redfish, cod and haddock, but hardly any saithe to be seen. This has happened before and saithe can be an incredibly elusive species,’ said Jón Frímann Eiríksson, skipper of Brim’s fresher trawler Viðey for this trip.
He commented that they have stayed on what are seen as their home grounds for the trip.
‘The furthest east we have been was the Selvogur Toe and then north to grounds off the Snæfellsnes Glacier to search for saithe, with not much success. I’ve spoken to skippers on the Westfjords grounds and it’s the same story there. Saithe are nowhere to be found. That’s the way it goes, but we could just as easily see heavy fishing for saithe tomorrow.’
Jón Frímann said that the forecast for the weekend doesn’t look good. In fact the outlook is so poor that they could be seeking shelter in port tomorrow. Under normal circumstances, Viðey would not be scheduled to dock until early on Monday. When we spoke to him, he reported that they have 120 tonnes on board.
Usually Jón Frímann sails as mate on board Akurey, and he said that the two trawlers are exactly the same.
‘The equipment is important, but the two trawlers are both fortunate to have fine crews. These are tough guys who know their jobs. After a trip on Örfirisey last year and now Viðey, I can say that all of the Brim fleet sail with excellent crews,’ Jón Frímann Eiríksson said.
