Faroe Islands pelagic vessels have landed more than 14,000 tonnes of fish in the first days of 2026, driven by heavy catches of blue whiting, herring and mackerel across Faroese, British and international waters.
The most enormous volumes came from blue whiting. Gøtunes (pictured above) arrived with a whole load of 3,400 tonnes, followed by Katrin Jóhanna with 1,750 tonnes.
Earlier, Norðingur and Arctic Voyager landed 1,900 and 1,850 tonnes respectively. All blue whiting was landed at Havsbrún after fishing mainly in Faroese waters.
Blue whiting dominates early landings
Blue whiting has clearly led the season. Four vessels alone delivered nearly 9,000 tonnes in a few days. Landings were concentrated in Fuglafjørður and Runavík, with continuous operations at Havsbrún to handle the volume.
Strong mackerel flow from west of Shetland
Mackerel landings also picked up pace. Vestmenningur landed 430 tonnes, while Finnur Fríði delivered 750 tonnes after fishing in British waters.
Birita followed with 330 tonnes, Tróndur í Gøtu with 335 tonnes, and Norðingur later added 325 tonnes. Most mackerel was landed at Varðan Pelagic in Tvøroyri, with smaller volumes delivered to other plants.
Herring landings spread across plants
Herring volumes were smaller but steady. Beinur landed 750 tonnes at Varðan Pelagic. Christian í Grótinum headed for Fuglafjørður with 550 tonnes for Pelagos and Havsbrún. Several smaller vessels delivered a combined 700 tonnes of herring to Pelagos earlier in the month.