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Commercial Fishing

JANUARY ICELANDIC FISH CATCH DOWN ON PREVIOUS YEAR

January Icelandic fish catch down on previous year. The total fish catch of Icelandic vessels in January 2023 was 110 thousand tonnes, but was 220 thousand tonnes in January last year. Of demersal species cod was about 20 thousand tonnes and from pelagic species blue whiting was 72 thousand tonnes.

In the 12 month period from February 2022 to January 2023 the overall catch was 1.3 million tonnes which is the same amount as was caught in the same period one year earlier.

These are preliminary figures. The data is gathered by the Directorate of Fisheries.

JANUARY ICELANDIC FISH CATCH DOWN

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It is hard to overstate the importance of fish to the Icelandic people. Through the centuries, it has been the lifeline of the nation, both as its main food supply, and its chief export product. Historical evidence suggests that story of Icelandic fish export dates back to the 12th century at the very least.

Fisheries remains one of the pillars of the Icelandic economy, responsible for a fair share of both the GDP and the nation’s export revenue. Iceland is one of the world’s leaders in total fisheries, but has in recent years also become a leading country in the advancement of marine technology, fishing equipment, navigational techniques and fish detection instruments, as well as maintaining a sophisticated seafood sector, exporting world-class produce.

Iceland’s exclusive fisheries zone has an area of 760,000 square kilometres, seven times the area of Iceland itself. Some of the largest fish stocks in the North Atlantic are found in Icelandic waters, including the cod stock, which is Iceland’s most important stock.

Sustainable and responsible harvesting of wild fish stocks in Icelandic waters and good treatment of the marine ecosystem is of a fundamental importance to Iceland. The seafood industry in Iceland is meeting demands of seafood buyers for sustainable use of marine resources with Iceland Responsible Fisheries programme, developed on the basis of commitments made through national law and international agreement.

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