Photo: Norges Sildesalgslag /FIS

The Norwegian Pelagic Fishing Course in Week 16

NORWAY
Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Blue Whiting Fishing in the Faroese Zone, and a Sandeel Catch from the Danish Sector.

Blue Whiting:

Blue whiting is the main focus in the pelagic fisheries, with 25,700 tonnes caught by 16 different boats last week. Catches varied from 920 tonnes to as much as 2,300 tonnes for the largest haul.

The fishing has been very good, and all catches were taken in Faroese waters, specifically in the so-called "grey zone," an area claimed by both the Faroe Islands and the United Kingdom.

This year's blue whiting season has been very encouraging since the first catch from the EU zone was reported on January 16th. Norwegian boats have caught just under 350,000 tonnes out of their quota of 406,111 tonnes.

The best week for blue whiting was week 9 (February 24th - March 2nd), when a total of 79,300 tonnes were reported, with the best fishing occurring in international waters.

From this zone, a total of 223,400 tonnes have been caught, which can be described as very good.

Foreign vessels have also fished blue whiting for sale through the Norwegian Pelagic Sales Organisation (Sildelaget), with a total catch of over 30,000 tonnes reported by nine different boats.

Regarding future fishing of the remaining quota, only a very few boats will fish now while the blue whiting is accessible in Faroese waters. Later in the spring and summer, we expect some boats to fish blue whiting along "the Edge" in the Norwegian zone, following known catch patterns.

Sandeel:

No preliminary quota has been set for sandeel in the Norwegian zone. the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research will conduct a new survey in April/May, and updated advice is expected after this.

For the EU, and particularly Denmark, a quota of over 100,000 tonnes has been set. Fishing started here on April 1st and has been moderate since. The Swedish boat "Astrid Marie" reported 750 tonnes last week for delivery in Egersund. This is the boat's second trip since the start of the fishing season.

Normally, the fishing will pick up when there is sun and warmth, which gathers the sandeel.

Author/Source: Kenneth Garvik/Norges Sildesalgslags

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www.seafood.media

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