Image: Fisker Forum / FIS

Heavy fishing on high-value roe capelin

The capelin season in Icelandic waters has seen some heavy fishing in the last few days, with marks of fish at the surface so thick they have been mistaken for oil slicks, and there have been queues at some ports to land catches.

Capelin roe processing. Photo: Síldarvinnslan

The Síldarvinnslan plant in Neskaupstaður has begun processing capelin for the high-value Japanese roe market, starting with a 3000 tonne landing by Vilhelm Thorsteinsson at the weekend.

‘We’re working flat out. The yield in roe extraction is excellent and we’re fine-tuning th epacking and freezing,’ said plant manager Geir Sigurpáll Hlöðversson.

‘The roe looks good and the maturity is 80-90% These are big landings we are getting now and that puts pressure on every element of the process.’

The 3000 tonnes landed by F/V 'Vilhelm Thorsteinsson' at the weekend was followed by a 1600 tonne landing the following day by F/V 'Bjarni Ólafsson', and F/V 'Börkur' on the way with a further 3000 tonnes means that production is going to continue at full speed for a while yet.

Fishing is primarily taking place off the south-west of Iceland, and concentrations of capelin (Mallotus villosus) off the north coast identified by research surveys have not materialised for the fishing fleet. The Marine Research Institute lifted its recommendation that a large proportion of the additional capelin quota allowed last week should be fished off the north coast, after fishing vessels searched northerna areas and failed to locate any significant marks of capelin.

Fishing grounds of the Icelandic fleet. Photos: icelandpelagic.is

But the heavy fishing off the south-west has all the indications of ensuring that this is going to be an excellent capelin season as the fleet is working on abundant capelin just as the fish are at their most valuable and in decent weather – which is something that can never be guaranteed at this time of the year.

By Quentin Bates / Fisker Forum

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