ICELAND'S capelin fishing season - a big money earner for the industry and the economy - is in full swing with the pelagic fleets working flat out to bring home catches.
The Fisheries and Agriculture Minister Jón Bjarnason yesterday paid a visit to the capelin plant in Akranes of HB Grandi, one of the biggest fishing companies in Iceland to familiarise himself with production. The factory can freeze around 100 tons of capelin roe every 24 hours.
Exports of capelin generate more than £60- million a year and makes an important contribution to the industry's cash flow. The fish is used for fish meal, oil industry products, salmon feed and, most importantly, for human consumption. Capelin roe is a sought after product, particularly in Eastern Europe and Asia, where it is believed to act as an aphrodisiac.
The good news for the Icelandic industry is that the fisheries minister increased the annual quota from 90,000 to 108,000 tons following a recommendation from the country's Marine Research Institute. This has prompted companies like HB Grandi to send out as many vessels as it can including their veteran purse seiner the Vikingur AK which has not been active for almost two years.
The company, which has a 20,000 ton share of the capelin quota, said the reason for making use of Víkingur is that HB Grandi’s aim is to steer as much of this season’s capelin catches as possible into roe production and freezing for the Japanese ma
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
