SHORT ATLANTO-SCANDIAN HERRING SEASON FOR ICELANDIC VESSELS

Brim’s pelagic vessels Venus and Víkingur have finished their fishing for Atlanto-Scandian herring and both are now in Reykjavík, ready for their next assignment. Whether that turns out to be Icelandic summer-spawning herring or blue whiting remains to be seen.
Venus’s skipper Bergur Einarsson said that the Atlanto-Scandian herring season had been short and sharp.
‘Fishing went very well and there was a lot of herring there. Fishing grounds were no more than 60 to 80 nautical miles from Vopnafjörður. The weather was fine and the herring in top condition, and we can say that production ashore dictated how quickly we fished. We had three trips and the last of these was for 1500 tonnes taken in four short tows. This was good quality herring, averaging 380 to 420 grammes,’ he said.
The next step for the pelagic vessels is uncertain. Any fishing for Icelandic summer-spawning herring is unlikely to start until November.
‘I don’t know what’s next, but blue whiting would be an option,’ Bergur Einarsson said.