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Commercial Fishing

GOOD MACKEREL FISHING FOR NORWEGIAN FLEET

GOOD MACKEREL FISHING FOR

Good mackerel fishing for Norwegian fleet. After a lot of searching in both the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea, the mackerel finally turned up a bit for the Norwegian ocean-going fleet last week, says Norwegian pelagic sales group Norges Sildesalgslag.

“If we look back at previous years, it has been several years since there was as good mackerel fishing in the North Sea as we have had this week,” says sales consultant Sigurd Vedøy. “We have to go back to 2015-2016-2017 to find a similar quantity.

“We have fished half of the total quota now, so we hope that the fishery will continue and that we will meet the mackerel quota.”

In addition to activity in the North Sea, close to the border with the British zone, there are also some looking a little further north-east in the North Sea. In total, there are around 60 ocean-going vessels on the sea.

For the smaller fleet, trollers and seiners, the fishery is still good and this group looks set to have a better mackerel season this year than last.

Most mackerel winter close to the ocean floor off the coast of south-west Norway, eating very little during this period. During April – May the mackerel spawn in central parts of the North Sea. Some also travel to the coast of Norway to feed and spawn. The mackerel feeds on small herring and brisling (sprat), and after spawning it becomes what is popularly called autumn mackerel. During August – September it leaves the coast.

The mackerel fry matures quickly so that young mackerel can already be caught in the autumn.

The largest catches of mackerel are taken in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea, but there are also quite a few along the coast from the Swedish border to Bergen. Mackerel is rare in northern Norway, even though it occasionally travels into the Barents Sea.

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