Iceland’s total fish catch fell to just over 53,000 tonnes in December 2025, down 13% from the same month a year earlier, according to new figures from Statistics Iceland. The drop was seen across all main categories, with demersal, pelagic and flatfish catches all lower year on year.
December catch down across key species
The total catch in December reached 53,394 tonnes, compared with 61,305 tonnes in December 2024. Demersal catch fell by 13% to 25,242 tonnes. Pelagic catch dropped by 12% to 27,128 tonnes. Flatfish saw the sharpest decline, down 30% to 952 tonnes.
Within demersal species, cod landings decreased by 6% to 15,400 tonnes. Haddock fell by 18% to 4,417 tonnes. Redfish dropped by 32% to 1,733 tonnes. Pelagic species also declined. Herring was down 10% to 12,449 tonnes, while blue whiting fell by 14% to 14,679 tonnes.
Full-year total is still higher
Despite a weak December, Iceland’s total catch for 2025 increased by 4% compared with 2024. Total landings reached 1,032,164 tonnes, up from 993,972 tonnes the year before.
Pelagic catch drove the annual growth. For the year, pelagic landings rose by 8% to 591,124 tonnes. Herring increased by 29%, while mackerel rose by 45% compared with 2024.
Demersal and flatfish trends
In contrast, demersal catch for 2025 fell slightly by 1% to 416,937 tonnes. Cod landings dropped by 2% over the year, while haddock fell by 1%. Flatfish declined by 17% to 20,242 tonnes.