Icelandic fishermen landed 131,000 tonnes of fish in September 2025, up 34% from the same month last year, according to new figures from Statistics Iceland. The sharp rise was driven by a strong pelagic season, which saw a 65% increase compared to September 2024.
Pelagic boom lifts total catch
The pelagic catch reached 98,000 tonnes, with mackerel landings soaring 174% to 4,366 tonnes. Blue whiting also saw a significant jump to 35,607 tonnes, while herring stayed stable at just over 58,000 tonnes.
In contrast, the demersal catch dropped 14%, totalling around 31,000 tonnes. The fall was seen across key groundfish species such as cod (-14%), haddock (-16%), and redfish (-29%).
Annual catch-up 4% year-on-year
For the 12 months from October 2024 to September 2025, Iceland’s total catch reached 1.04 million tonnes, a 4% increase from the previous year.
The figures show a continuing shift in Iceland’s fisheries, with pelagic species now dominating the national catch, while demersal species remain under pressure.