Bad weather cut short the Norwegian mackerel fishery last week. A total of 10,642 tonnes were landed from the UK zone before a strong gale forced vessels to leave the grounds.
Odd Lundberg Ends Season on Top
Forty-nine boats were active, with catches ranging from 20 to 540 tonnes. The trawler Odd Lundberg had the biggest haul at 540 tonnes, completing its annual quota. After the storm, only four late Sunday landings were reported, totalling 688 tonnes.
The coastal fleet also contributed 281 tonnes in Rogaland and Vestland counties, with smaller fish averaging 250 to 380 grams in weight. In total, 20,256 tonnes remain of Norway’s 152,256-tonne mackerel quota for 2025.
Brisling and Herring Landings
The coastal sprat season opened with five landings from three vessels, totalling 80 tonnes. Rogaland sprat was larger, with 53 fish per kilo, while Hardanger sprat averaged 93 per kilo. Auctions were held on the bigger Rogaland fish.
Two boats reported 236 tonnes of large North Sea herring, averaging 272 grams per fish. All went to human consumption. Norway still has 11,741 tonnes left of its herring quota.
Variety in the Catch
Other landings included 17.5 tonnes of bluefin tuna (makrellstørje) by the Hillersøy, which hauled 70 of the giants in a single cast. The Kavholm brought in 8 tonnes of horse mackerel.
The week also saw 3,575 tonnes of offshore sprat (havbrisling) from one Norwegian and two Danish vessels. At the same time, the Sille Marie was alone on the blue whiting (kolmule) grounds, reporting 1,315 tonnes.