NORWEGIAN MACKEREL AND HERRING SURVEY UNDERWAY

Norwegian mackerel and herring survey underway. The Institute of Marine Research in Norway and the hired boats Vendla and Eros are well underway with this summer’s mapping of the ecosystem in the Norwegian Sea.

After six days they have covered the area between the Norwegian coast and Shetland, westwards into the Faroese zone and north to 64° N. Apart from two days of gale force winds, the weather and progress have been good.

Together with the Norwegian boats, the foreign boats map the areas around Iceland, the North Sea and the east of Greenland.

They have so far had 20 stations in predetermined positions with 30 minutes trawl tail in the surface, plankton and water sample.

Total catches of mackerel have varied between 60 and 4000 kilograms, with an average weight of the fish between 260 and 496 grams. The largest mackerel were found in the areas west of 2°W.T

The total catches of Norwegian spring spawning herring have varied between 0 and 870 kilograms, with an average weight of between 199 and 287 grams.

They have also had trawl tails on sonar records at depths of 150-300 m where the catches have mainly been one to two years old.

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