Photo : courtesy Norges Sildesalgslag - arkiv (2017)

The course of pelagic fishing week 43

NORWAY
Monday, October 26, 2020, 16:30 (GMT + 9)

This autumn's best NVG herring week and less mackerel from the North Sea

Mackerel:

We received significantly smaller quantities of mackerel than in the previous three weeks. A total of 23,100 tonnes were reported last week, where 6,400 tonnes and 5,300 tonnes were caught on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. This weekend, fishing has been partially hampered by gales in the field. Of this quantity, purse seines have contributed 16,600 t, coastal 1,900 t. SUK and trawl each with 700 t, and from three foreign boats we have registered 3,200 t.

With the exception of a few smaller catches taken on the coast by the smallest in the coastal group, the mackerel is fished in the EU zone. At the beginning of the week, the boats caught in the area east of Sumburgh Head (the southern tip of Shetland), while one during the week has pulled southeast to the area south of Fladengrunn. The fishermen report varying mackerel registrations, where at times it has been difficult to find direction for the mackerel and thus there have been a number of boom throws.

Photo : courtesy Norges Sildesalgslag

As in the rest of the season, the mackerel is relatively large with an average weight in the range 370-470 grams, where the weighted average for the whole week is 441 g.

If we look at the quota picture, 183,700 tonnes have now been fished, and there are just over 40,000 tonnes if we also take into account the full flex quantity of 21,388 tonnes. If we estimate a flex quantity of 8,000 tonnes, 27,500 tonnes will be fished for the rest of the year for Norwegian boats.

In the coming weeks, more foreign boats trawling mackerel will enter the fishery. In November last year, we had a turnover of 33,000 tonnes from foreign boats.

NVG herring:

We had the best herring week of the autumn with 32,500 tonnes in the record, where the best day catches were Monday with 7,000 tonnes and Friday with 8,100 tonnes.

As for mackerel, it is the purse seine group that contributes the most to the week's quantity. They have fished 23,000 t, coast 8,300 t and trawl 1,200 t.

Also this week, there are two main areas for fishing for herring. One in the Norwegian Sea and the other off the coast of Troms.
From the Norwegian Sea, fishing has been uneven and difficult as the herring is deep and out over a large area. From here, 8,600 tonnes have been registered, divided into 13 catches. The herring here is large with an average weight of 366 g
From the areas outside Troms, as much as 23,900 tonnes have been fished, and here the fishermen report large quantities of herring where the herring is easier to catch with a net. Several good casts of up to 1,000 t are reported. The fleet started the week with fishing in the southern edge of Tromsøflaket and has further moved south to the area around 30 n.mil north of Andenes. The average weights from here are in the range 200-280 g, with an average of 243 g.

In the coming week, a large participation in herring fishing is still expected. We can only hope for better accessibility in the Norwegian Sea, and that the herring Icelanders registered for earlier this autumn will enter the Smutthavet / Norwegian zone. For the herring in the north, it is exciting to see if it continues south or turns northeast again and then moves into Kvænangen.

North Sea herring:

From three boats, 1,200 tonnes of North Sea herring have been reported in direct fishing for herring. Herring is caught in the EU zone about 100 miles east of Aberdeen. The sizes of the herring are in the range 193-214 g.
From the buyer's team, it is reported that there is still roe in the herring even though we are so late in the autumn.

Coastal sprat:

Fishing in the Sognefjord opened on Tuesday this week, but so far there has been poor fishing with only 5 catches from three "sprat farms" with just over 50 hours in total.

From Tuesday this week, Nordfjord will also be opened for sprat fishing.

Norway Pout / Blue Whiting:

For eyeballs, 2,800 tonnes have been fished last week, of which 2,100 tonnes have been fished on Fladen in the EU zone. The rest has been taken on Kanten in the Norwegian zone.

Of other species for flour / oil use, we have 900 tonnes of blue whiting, 450 tonnes of horse mackerel and just over 200 tonnes of herring.

Author: Kenneth Garvik / Norges Sildesalgslag (Article has been translated from original in Norwegian)

editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media

Print