Photo: Norges Sildesalgslag /FIS

Norway Pelagic Fishing Update Week 44

NORWAY
Tuesday, November 04, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Good Herring Catch in the North, and Mackerel from Foreign Vessels

Norwegian Vårygtende (Spring-Spawning) Herring (NVG-Herring) and Other Species Update

A successful week of fishing was reported, primarily driven by a high volume of Norwegian Spring-Spawning (NVG) Herring in the north, alongside significant Mackerel catches by foreign fleets.

Norwegian Spring-Spawning Herring (NVG-Herring)

We registered another good herring week in the north with a total of 30,500 tonnes in the log. This was fished by 54 different vessels, where the catches from the northernmost field ranged from a low of 40 tonnes to the largest catch of 1,450 tonnes from the vessel "Smaragd".

• Catch Distribution by Vessel Group:

  • Purse Seiners (Ringnot): Contributed the most with 18,000 tonnes.

  • Coastal Fleet (Kyst): 11,800 tonnes.

  • Trawl Group: 700 tonnes from one vessel.

• Fishing Grounds: Fishing started outside the fjord lines at Lopphavet and within the fjord lines at Sørøysundet. Before the weekend, trial casts were conducted at Kvænangen due to concerns about whitefish mixing. On Saturday, the area was opened for the coastal fleet, which was positive due to both larger herring and better schooling.

• Size: The size of the herring in the north varies widely, from 216 g (lowest) to 345 g (largest average weight). The weighted average for the entire quantity is 298 g. Catches with the lowest average weight show a significant proportion of Group Four and some Group Five herring, likely from the 2021 and 2022 year classes.

• Catches Further South: Catches were also taken in Lofoten and at Hitra. Herring at Hitra was large, with average weights around 380 g, while sizes in Lofoten were around 280 g.

• Quota Status: After two good weeks, the quota is sharply decreasing. Only 52,000 tonnes remain of the annual quota of 252,065 tonnes. The coastal fleet has the largest remaining share with 42,500 tonnes. Weekly volumes are expected to decrease in the coming weeks due to fewer vessels from the purse seiner group.

Mackerel

It was a satisfactory mackerel week with 13,400 tonnes. This was primarily thanks to nine foreign vessels that fished a total of 12,400 tonnes. Several of them made two trips last week, with catch sizes ranging from 500 tonnes to 1,250 tonnes.

• Norwegian Catches: The remaining quantity was fished by Norwegian vessels across all fleet groups, with "Selvåg Senior" recording the largest single catch at just under 600 tonnes.

• Fishing Grounds: Apart from a few catches taken on the coast by the smallest boats, the mackerel was primarily caught in the British Zone east of Shetland, in traditional mackerel areas for this time of year.

• Size: Mackerel sizes varied from 344 g to 460 g, with a weighted average of 430 g. This is significantly lower than the average weights recorded earlier this autumn in the Norwegian Sea (e.g., 517 g in week 34 and 512 g in week 36).

• Quota Status: More mackerel is expected from foreign vessels. For Norwegian vessels, where the quota status shows that 1,600 tonnes more than the annual quota of 152,256 tonnes has been fished, modest quantities are expected going forward.

North Sea Herring (Nordsjøsild)

• Low Activity: Only two catches of North Sea Herring were reported last week, totaling 225 tonnes. One was from a purse seiner fishing in the British Zone south of Fladengrunn. The second catch was from a small coastal boat in Tysnes municipality in Vestland.

• Quota Status: 9,400 tonnes now remain of the 126,262 tonnes quota for North Sea Herring.

Sprat (Brisling)

• Foreign Catch: A Danish vessel reported a catch of 225 tonnes fished in the British Zone northeast of Newcastle. This was relatively large sprat (51 pcs/kg) and was sold for human consumption.

• Coastal Sprat:

  • In the fjords of Rogaland, just under 90 tonnes of coastal sprat were fished (around 60 pcs/kg).

  • From Nordfjord, 90 tonnes were also caught by three different vessels. This sprat was smaller (in the range of 84–102 pcs/kg) and is ideal for canning. Fishing here was stopped on Thursday as the quota in Nordfjord is considered fully fished.

New Opening: Sprat fishing opened on Monday, November 3, in the Trondheim Fjord, with a quota of 578 tons.

Author/Source: Kenneth Garvik / Norges Sildesalgslag

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