Faroe Islands pelagic vessels landed large volumes of herring, mackerel and blue whiting last week, with several ships reporting full or near-full loads from Norwegian, EU and Faroese waters. The biggest single herring cargo reached 2,650 tonnes.
Christian í Grótinum headed for the Faroe Islands after selling 2,650 tonnes of herring through Norway’s Sildelaget. The vessel is due to land the fish at Pelagos in Fuglafjørður. Another Faroese vessel, Gøtunes, also reported a 2,650-tonne herring haul from Norwegian waters.
Strong herring catches in Norwegian waters
Several Faroese and foreign vessels fished herring far north of Norway, well above the Arctic Circle. Gøtunes operated north of Tromsø and completed nine hauls for a total of 2,650 tonnes. According to industry sources, this may be the largest herring catch ever for human consumption.
Other strong herring trips included Finnur Fríði with 1,890 tonnes, Fagraberg with 1,820 tonnes and Jupiter with 1,720 tonnes, all from Norwegian waters. Landings are taking place in Norway, Denmark and the Faroe Islands.
Mackerel landings spread across Faroese ports
Mackerel fishing also remained active. Norðingur landed 440 tonnes at Pelagos in Fuglafjørður after fishing west of Shetland. The Danish vessel Astrid landed 600 tonnes at Varðan Pelagic in Tvøroyri, while Høgaberg delivered 1,200 tonnes of mackerel to Pelagos.
Norðborg landed 930 tonnes of whole frozen mackerel in Ánirnar. The vessel reported no fishmeal or oil production on this trip.
Heavy blue whiting activity in Faroese waters
Blue whiting fishing was concentrated south of the Faroe Islands. Borgarin landed 2,400 tonnes at Havsbrún, while Vestmenningur delivered 1,200 tonnes. Arctic Voyager and the Greenlandic vessel Tasiilaq each landed 1,250 tonnes at the same factory.
Industry sources report many vessels operating on the blue whiting grounds in the area.