It has been another excellent week for Norwegian pelagic fisheries, with mackerel dominating the landings. A total of 27,300 tonnes was reported, drawn from 118 vessels. Catches ranged widely, from as little as a single tonne to an extraordinary 760 tonnes in a single haul by the new vessel Herøyhav.
Mackerel Dominates the Catch
The best days for mackerel were Wednesday and Sunday, yielding 8,200 and 8,300 tonnes respectively. Purse seiners accounted for the lion’s share with 20,500 tonnes, while coastal vessels brought in 2,600 tonnes. Foreign boats also contributed 2,600 tonnes.
Although volumes were high, fishing proved unpredictable. Some vessels searched fruitlessly for days, while others struck lucky several times. The mackerel shoals, plentiful one day and gone the next, moved from the Faroese boundary early in the week, closer to Ålesund mid-week, before shifting north into Norwegian waters at the weekend. Average fish size remained strong, with a mean weight of 512 grams.
With 98,000 tonnes now caught, two-thirds of the 152,000-tonne quota has been filled. Some vessels have already completed their allocations unusually early.
North Sea Herring Shows Mixed Results
The herring fishery brought in 2,500 tonnes. Scottish vessels led the way, recording 1,700 tonnes, with the largest single haul of 1,100 tonnes from Ocean Star. Norwegian catches varied from 145 to 330 tonnes, taken mainly north of Fladen Ground. Fish near Fair Isle were notably larger, at up to 235 grams, and some were processed for roe production.
Sprat Fishery Positive
The Danish-owned Gitte Henning landed 1,200 tonnes of sprat from EU waters off Germany and the Netherlands. Norwegian boats have so far caught 7,200 tonnes of their 10,000-tonne quota, while foreign vessels have delivered 34,200 tonnes through Sildelaget, most during the summer.
The Piraja completed two trips to the continental shelf edge, bringing in 500 tonnes of blue whiting and 210 tonnes of stromling.
As the season advances, the focus remains firmly on mackerel, but with herring, sprat and blue whiting all active, week 36 will be remembered as a particularly strong one for the fleet.