The capelin season in Icelandic waters is in progress, although there are currently no Icelandic vessels taking part in the fishery due to the ongoing seamen’s strike.

Results of the research surveys carried out by research vessels and one commercial fishing vessel have been digested and Iceland’s Marine Research Institute has decided on a 57,000 tonne capelin quota.

HB Grandi’s Venus docked at Vopnafjördur last night with 2300 tonnes of capelin on board. The fish were caught in Breidafjördur on Sunday and Tuesday, the only days when the weather was kind enough to allow the fleet to shoot its gear.

Capelin processing and frozen roe production began at HB Grandi’s Akranes factory yesterday when Venus docked with 900 tonnes on board. The capelin were caught in three shots off the Snæfellsnes peninsula the day before yesterday. There was no fishing yesterday due to bad weather.

Production of frozen capelin roe has started at HB Grandi’s Vopnafjördur factory, with extraction begun on catch landed by Venus the night before last, with a capelin roe content of around 20%. Further east along the coast, Síldarvinnslan’s factory at Neskaupstaður is also gearing up for roe production now that frozen production for the Japanese market is over.

Síldarvinnslan’s processing factory at Neskaupstaður in eastern Iceland has begun freezing capelin for markets in Asia and Eastern Europe after catch rates increased in the last few days.