Just as fears surface of Atlantic cod as a whole becoming branded unsustainable by the US government, in spite of the existence of numerous cod stocks that are in excellent condition, Canadian P3 cod has been MSC certified and recognised as meeting the criteria for sustainable fisheries.
Skipper Ægir Fransson expects to haul his gear today for the last time this trip and set course for home to finish the trip on home grounds. The catch for the trip so far has been an ungutted weight of 1000 tonnes of fish.
The Icelandic authorities have protested at the US government’s decision to place Atlantic cod on a list of endangered species, based on reports of IUU fishing.
Three Icelandic trawlers have fallen foul of by-catch regulations in Norwegian waters as Coastguard inspections showed high levels of haddock in their cod catches, resulting in heavy fines.
There has been some good fishing on the Fugløy Bank in the Barents Sea since HB Grandi’s factory trawler Therney arrived there in mid-January. According to skipper Kristinn Gestsson, the first week there was very good and since then catch rates have been reasonable.
One of the biggest fisheries in the Pomorye region of the White Sea coast and surrounding areas in Russia, Arkhangelsk Trawl Fleet (ATF), has been certified to the Marine Stewardship (MSC) Fisheries Standard.
‘The weather has been good, and so has the fishing. Prices are reasonable, but they’ll drop as they always do when the fishing gets heavy,’ said Arthur Bogason, president of the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers, former chairman of the Icelandic National Association of Small Boat Owners – and himself an inshore fisherman.
ANIFPO and Sea Source launch a new whitefish sales division on Monday 1st of February.
2016 has started well for small-scale fishermen in the Baltic, according to Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) after an end to 2015 that was fraught with uncertainty.
HB Grandi’s trawlers have made a good start to the new year. As in previous years, the search is on for saithe around the coast, but saithe are not easy to find. On the other hand, there is plenty of cod at this time of year while redfish remain elusive.