The course of the fisheries per week 2 - 2025

NVG Herring:

It was a good week for herring fishing in the north, with 82 different boats reporting a total catch of 37,300 tons last week. The coastal fleet accounted for the majority, catching 23,800 tons, followed by 10,800 tons from purse seiners and 2,700 tons from trawlers.

The fishing took place in the same areas as before Christmas, spanning from the inner parts of Kvænangen out to the northwest of Arnøya.

Fishermen in the region report abundant herring and have generally been quick on the grounds, with several successful hauls.

With new year classes entering the herring stock, the average sizes are of particular interest. Most of the fishing has targeted quality herring with an average weight of 250-305 grams. However, in some areas with a higher mix of smaller herring, the average weight has been as low as 178 grams.

There has been strong buyer interest for herring in the new year, with reports of good quality for both filleting and whole packing.

We now expect the herring to start moving out of Kvænangen soon, heading to the spawning grounds. Many boats are expected to remain active in herring fishing in the coming week.

Mackerel:

Mackerel fishing has also gained momentum, with a total catch of 18,200 tons last week. Of this, 16,200 tons were caught by 11 different foreign vessels, while the remaining was caught by four Norwegian boats.

The foreign vessels are from Denmark, Scotland (Shetland), and Northern Ireland.

For Norwegian boats, this level of mackerel catch in January has not been seen since before Brexit in 2020.

The fishing occurred in British waters, approximately 60 nautical miles northwest of the Orkney Islands. All catches were made using trawls, with reports of plentiful mackerel—sometimes with minimal effort, requiring just a quick dip of the trawl for a good haul.

There is also significant interest in mackerel from several international markets, encouraging more Norwegian vessels to fish during the winter season.

The mackerel sizes range from 385 to 477 grams, with an average weight of 425 grams.

We hope the coming week will bring in good mackerel catches as well, both from Norwegian and foreign boats.

Blue Whiting:

A couple of Norwegian vessels sailed westward to fish for blue whiting in the Faroese zone. However, there was poor aggregation and little blue whiting to be seen or caught. These vessels, like their Faroese and Icelandic counterparts, ended their fishing after only catching small amounts.

One vessel has set course for the EU zone to fish for blue whiting west of Ireland.

Bergen, 13.01.2024
Kenneth Garvik
[email protected]

This article has been translated using ChatGPT and may contain errors.