ICELANDIC CATCH VALUES RISE

Icelandic catch values rise. The value of catch from Icelandic vessels in January 2019 was 10.6 billion ISK, 10.2% more than in January 2018. Demersal catch value was 9.6 billion ISK, an increase of 35.7%.

The value of cod was 5.8 billion ISK, an increase of 990 million or 20.6% compared with January 2018. There was a great increase in the value of haddock which was over 1.9 billion ISK in January compared with 950 million in January 2018. Value of pelagic catch was just 55 million ISK, compared with 1.9 billion in January 2018, the main reason being the shortage of capelin catch. Value of flatfish catch was 855 million ISK, 49.5% more than in January 2018. Total value of catch in the 12 month period from February 2018 to January 2019 was just over 128 billion ISK which is a 9.1% increase compared with the same period a year earlier.

*Information about catch value of fish is based on preliminary figures. The data is based on the first sale value of catch and is gathered by the Directorate of Fisheries. *

About the Directorate of Fisheries

The Directorate of Fisheries was established in 1992 to handle various tasks previously undertaken by the Ministry of Fisheries and several other agencies. From an administrative point of view, this was a more economical and effective arrangement which also offers extra safeguards for legal rights. There have been a number of changes in the functions of the Directorate of Fisheries since its foundation, and the Directorate is now responsible for the management and supervision of fishing in the sea, rivers and lakes, as well as whaling and aquaculture. The Directorate of Fisheries also collects a wide range of information on these activities, which it uses for its administrative and supervisory functions, and disseminates to interested parties and the public at large.

The Directorate employs approximately 75 people, representing a wide spectrum of experience, education and expertise. The headquarters of the Directorate of Fisheries are in Hafnarfjördur, in addition to which it has offices in Grindavík, Stykkishólmur, Ísafjördur, Akureyri, Höfn in Hornarfjördur and the Westman Islands. The Directorate of Fisheries works in close cooperation with the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture and other agencies serving the fisheries sector, both in Iceland and internationally.Fisheries are the basis of economic prosperity in Iceland. Effective management and monitoring are vital in promoting the conservation and sustainable and efficient harvesting of fish stocks. The Directorate of Fisheries plays a key role in that work.

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