The past week brought mixed fortunes for Norway’s fishing fleet. While the mackerel fishery showed ups and downs, Wednesday delivered a standout haul of more than 11,300 tonnes in a single day.
A total of 18,795 tonnes of mackerel were landed during week 35, most of it taken by the large fleet some 200 nautical miles northwest of Ålesund, near the border of the Smutthavet. The fish have been of good size, with some weighing over 600 grams.
Foreign vessels, mainly from the Faroe Islands, contributed around 1,000 tonnes under quota agreements. Another 1,000 tonnes came from smaller lock-seine boats operating between Skudeneshavn and Ålesund.
With about 60 vessels active on the grounds, the effort has been intense. So far this season, 74,000 tonnes of mackerel have been caught, leaving approximately 78,600 tonnes of the quota still available.
Brisling: Foreign Boats Dominate
Foreign vessels also dominated the brisling catch. Five boats delivered 6,510 tonnes in Norwegian ports last week.
No Norwegian vessels were active, though 13 have so far caught about 7,300 tonnes. The previous five ships on the sailing list together hold some 2,600 tonnes left of the national quota.
North Sea Herring: Imports Fill the Gap
The week’s North Sea herring landings reached 8,410 tonnes, of which 8,270 tonnes came from foreign vessels. Only two Norwegian boats contributed to the total.
With most boats busy chasing mackerel, only two ventured to the shelf edge for industrial fishing. Their catch totalled 510 tonnes of blue whiting, 167 tonnes of argentine, 35 tonnes of Norway pout, and 16 tonnes of horse mackerel.
Meanwhile, two Norwegian vessels delivered 120 tonnes of Norwegian spring-spawning herring (NVG-herring) to Florø and Fosnavåg. Another self-processing vessel reported 140 tonnes further north.