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ICELANDIC BLUE WHITING SEASON COMES TO AN END
Icelandic blue whiting season comes to an end. The HB Grandi fishing vessel Venus finished discharging its catch at Vopnafjörður earlier this week and is now in Akureyri ahead of being dry-docked. According to skipper Theódór Thórðarson, the last trip ended with 2,740 tonnes landed after eight to nine days at sea.
‘Blue whiting catches have been falling over the last few days and weeks. We’ve been fishing on the Ræsi grounds south-west of the Faroes and finished the trip east of the islands. There were no big catches to be had anywhere, but we managed to fill up before heading home,’ he said, adding that now there is a routine trip to the dry dock and they expect to be ready to be back fishing again around the 10-12th of June.
Another Icelandic vessel, Víkingur, is still fishing for blue whiting, and skipper Hjalti Einarsson said that they are now the only one of the Icelandic pelagic fleet still fishing there.
‘Fishing for blue whiting is pretty slow these days, with less than ten tonnes per towing hour. There aren’t many of us left here now. The Russians have mostly finished their quotas, so there are just five Faroese and one Russian ship fishing here, as well as us,’ Hjalti Einarsson said.
About HB Grandi
HB Grandi hf. is one of Iceland’s largest seafood companies. The company has a long history and extensive experience and expertise in the utilisation of natural resources and fish production, which is reflected in all its activities. The company focuses on sophisticated fishing and processing technology and continuous production development. The company produces high-quality products from the fresh wild fish caught in Icelandic waters. Respect for the environment and the marine ecosystem is the basis for all activities at HB Grandi, and every effort is made to respect the resource and operate responsible fisheries, for the benefit of future generations. HB Grandi emphasises corporate social responsibility, as it has always been the goal of the company that all its activities reflect its responsibility towards the marine resources and the community.
HB Grandi is engaged in the fishing and processing of groundfish and pelagic fish. The company employs approximately 800 people at sea and on land. The products are sold all over the world, with the largest markets being Europe, Asia and North America.
HB Grandi has integrated operations in fishing, processing and marketing in order to promote efficient production and ensure an unrestricted pathway from catch to markets. It is easy to trace the route of the product from delivery all the way back to the sea. The key to the company’s success lies in its excellent staff, both at sea and on land, who are committed to delivering quality products to buyers and consumers.
