Iceland´s Minister of Fisheries, Jon Bjarnason, has set a mackerel quota for Icelandic vessels this year of  130,000 metric tons, compared with 112,000 tons in 2009 and in 2008.  In 2010 the bulk of the quota is allocated to specific vessels, whereas in the past the quota has been Olympic (i.e. free for all until the total quantity has been taken). 

Meanwhile, HB Grandi, one of the country's main pelagic fish producers, said it was gearing up for the new season.  Magnús Róbertsson  production manager at HB Grandi’s Vopnafjördur factory, said: ‘When fishing on herring and mackerel starts, we aim to be able to produce mackerel for human consumption at the pelagic factory. So far, mackerel has been used to make fishmeal. By freezing headed and eviscerated mackerel, we expect to be able to fetch significantly better prices, as frozen mackerel is a high-value product,’

Fishing on mackerel and Atlanto-Scandian herring is expected to start around the middle of next month and Magnús Róbertsson said that they have been hard at work to alter the production lines to allow them to produce mackerel alongside herring. Over the last few years the boats that have been seeing increasing amounts of mackerel with their catches of herring, to the point that there can be more mackerel than herring.

Mr Robertsson added: "We have bought a pair of new, completely automatic filleting machines that are being prepared now. This means that we have seven filleters, of which three are fully automatic. The new machines should cope better with larger fish, such as the larger grades of mackerel, and these machines are to be used to fillet herring while they can head and eviscerate mackerel. To make this simpler, we will have two sets of gradings, with two grades for herring and two for mackerel."

Meanwhile, in the continued absence of a multination agreement on mackerel the Faroe Islands he said it  may set its own quota - and that will be at least 130,000 tons.

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