ICELANDIC CATCH VALUES SOAR

Icelandic catch values soar. The total value of catch from Icelandic fishing vessels in February was 11.2 billion ISK, 24.7% more than in February 2018. Demersal catch value was 9.8 billion ISK, an increase of 35.4%, of which the value of cod was 6.9 billion ISK. There was a great increase in the value of haddock which was over 1.4 billion ISK in February compared with 850 million in February 2018. Value of pelagic catch, all blue whiting, was 850 million ISK.

Total Icelandic catch value in the 12 month period from March 2018 to February 2019 was just over 131 billion ISK which is a 8.8% increase compared with the same period a year earlier.

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

Directorate of Fisheries, Fiskistofa, is an agency of the Ministry of Industries and Innovation. The Directorate’s task is monitoring fisheries and the daily administration of the fisheries management system in Iceland. The Directorate collects data on all landed catch from ports of landing in real time as well as information on processing and exports of fish products. The Directorate monitors the operation of fishing vessels, the weighing in of landed catch and processing of fish both on site and through electronic surveillance such as through vessel monitoring systems which the Agency runs in cooperation with the Coast Guard of Iceland.

The Directorate of Fisheries is responsible for fisheries management in the Icelandic exclusive economic zone as well as Icelandic fisheries outside Icelandic jurisdiction.