There has been some fine fishing in the last few weeks south and west of Reykjanes in Iceland, mainly golden redfish and cod, plus a spell of good saithe fishing. There are trawlers and smaller boats fishing from the Westmann Islands all the way west to Reykjanes.

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.

‘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.