Icelandic fishing vessels shift focus to Norwegian-Icelandic herring as mackerel catch declines

Icelandic pelagic fishing vessels have largely shifted their focus to fishing for Norwegian-Icelandic herring, as mackerel catch appears to have significantly declined. A quarter of the mackerel quota remains unharvested.

Siggeir Stefánsson, production manager at the Þórshöfn fish processing company, noted that their ships had been searching for mackerel for some time before abandoning the pursuit. He emphasized the serious implications of failing to catch the entire mackerel quota, particularly for the livelihoods of businesses, municipalities, and their employees. Currently, there are still about 30,000 tons of mackerel that have not been caught, while Iceland’s total quota stands at 120,000 tons.

Despite the challenges in mackerel fishing, herring fishing has commenced earlier than expected. Since harvesting began, processing has continued without interruption, with the first catch arriving at Þórshöfn on September 4. However, herring does not compare to mackerel in terms of market value. While herring is a good product, it tends to be less sought after on a global scale compared to mackerel, being more popular in Eastern European markets.

Production strategies remain adaptive, focusing on different market needs by processing whole herring for certain markets while producing fillets and pieces for others. Overall, the outlook for herring seems favorable, though the upcoming winter is expected to bring questions about the viability of the next mackerel season and the anticipated capelin fishing.