Good fishing on mackerel in international zone
Fishing has been good on mackerel in the international zone between Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands in the last few days.
Fishing has been good on mackerel in the international zone between Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands in the last few days.
Results of the ISSSNS joint pelagic survey carried out by Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands from 30th of June to 6th August have been released, and indicate a drop in the mackerel population, with the densest concentrations observed in the Norwegian Sea.
Most of the Icelandic fleet’s fishing for mackerel is now in international waters just beyond the 200 mile limit as a heavy migration of herring in the Hvalbakur area has made fishing for mackerel difficult in home waters.
The Icelandic pelagic fleet has been busy on mackerel after a quiet spell, and landings are now coming thick and fast to ports in the east of the country.
Westman Islands company Vinnslustöðin’s pelagic division manager Sindri Viðarsson is optimistic for this year’s mackerel season, which opened on the 13th July.
The controversy over the volume of mackerel in the North Atlantic and the reluctance of the marine science community to enter into a dialogue with figures outside the establishment has begun to spread as both the industry and the mainstream media have picked up on the issu
The first landings of mackerel have been made to Neskaupstaður in eastern Iceland last week when factory vessel Vilhelm Thorsteinsson docked with its first landing, which included 500 tonnes of seafrozen mackerel.
A study of the North Atlantic’s mackerel stocks by independent scientist Jens Christian Holst asks some uncomfortable questions of the current methods fisheries management and research. He suggests that feeding by a mackerel stock that has outgrown its usual food sources is the reason for declining seabird and salmon stocks, and that the size of the spawning stock has been drastically underestimated.
Norwegian herring exports for April are up compared to the same period last year, with values slightly down, while both values and volumes for mackerel have fallen – but the market in south Korea is showing a keen interest in mackerel form Norway.
The sixth annual meeting of the SPRFMO held in Lima resulted in important progress on key issues – more opportunities for European operators.