The Icelandic pelagic vessel Börkur NK arrived in Neskaupstaður yesterday morning with a catch of 1,350 tonnes of herring — landed for processing at Síldarvinnslan’s factory.
According to skipper Hálfdan Hálfdanarson, the fishing trip went very well, with dense shoals and steady hauls in areas further south than usual for the season.
Strong catches in southern grounds
“We caught the fish in five hauls,” skipper Hálfdan Hálfdanarson said. “The biggest haul was 550 tonnes, while the shortest one was under half an hour and gave around 70 tonnes. We were fishing further south this time — in the Seyðisfjörður Deep and Norðfjörður Deep. When we finished, we were only 28 miles from shore, and it took just two and a half hours to steam home.”
The skipper noted that the herring was generally larger in the southern grounds, although the size varied between hauls.
“There seems to be herring widely spread across the east coast,” he added.
The end of the herring season is approaching
Fishing for Norwegian–Icelandic spring-spawning herring is now drawing to a close. “Much of the catch this season has been Icelandic summer-spawning herring,” said Hálfdan.
The recent southern catches indicate that the fish are still in good numbers, and the dense shoals made for efficient fishing.