Bad weather marked week 40 of Norway’s pelagic fishing season, with storms from Wednesday halting activity at sea. Despite the rough conditions, Norwegian and foreign vessels continued to bring in solid catches, especially of mackerel.
Mackerel Landings Cut by Weather
A total of 4,202 tonnes of mackerel were landed from the British zone last week. Norwegian boats took 2,985 tonnes, while two foreign vessels delivered 1,217 tonnes. The fish ranged in size from 418 to 510 grams.
Along the Norwegian coast, landings were modest, totalling 82 tonnes, of which 75 tonnes were used for freezing and 7 tonnes were sold fresh. Norway still has 16,663 tonnes left of its national mackerel quota of 152,256 tonnes.
Other Catches Reported
There was also activity on several other species. Foreign vessels landed 3,220 tonnes of sprat from the EU zone.
Four boats brought in 513 tonnes of North Sea herring, with 336 tonnes for human consumption and 177 tonnes for meal and oil. A smaller catch of horse mackerel—10 tonnes from Rogaland—was also landed.
The vessel Hillersøy fished 11 tonnes of Atlantic bluefin tuna, while 315 tonnes of Norwegian spring-spawning herring were landed along the coast from Møre to Vestfjorden.
One boat reported from “the Edge”, delivering 395 tonnes in total: 360 tonnes of blue whiting, 25 tonnes of Norway pout, and 10 tonnes of horse mackerel.
The week showed how quickly the weather can affect fishing activity. Still, despite the gales, many boats managed to maintain their pace in key fisheries.