Fishing vessels operating out of Iceland caught a total 63,864 metric tons (MT) of fish and shellfish last month, some 8 percent less than in November 2019. With the exception of haddock, saithe, and blue whiting, lower volumes were seen across all of the country’s main species.
According to the preliminary data prepared by the country’s Directorate of Fisheries, November’s demersal catch decreased by 4 percent year-on-year to 39,631 MT, with cod landings falling by 8 percent to 23,642 MT, and an 8 percent reduction in redfish to 3,853 MT.
Last month’s haddock and saithe landings increased by 21 percent and 3 percent, respectively, to 5,573 MT and 4,598 MT.
Overall, Iceland’s pelagic catch fell 12 percent to 22,604 MT. Within the category, herring landings were down 24 percent to 14,040 MT, but the blue whiting volume climbed 19 percent to 8,564 MT.
Iceland’s flatfish catch decreased by 6 percent to 1,257 MT, and its shellfish volume fell by 60 percent to 371 MT.
The authority also calculated the total December 2019 to November 2020 catch at just over 1 million MT, a fall of 3 percent year-on-year. This reduction included a 4 percent decrease in the demersal species group at 460,675 MT, 1 percent less pelagics at 522,089 MT, a 51 percent fall in the shellfish landed to 5,009 MT, but 2 percent more flatfish at 22,702 MT.
In 2019, Iceland’s wild-capture fisheries landings amounted to a total 1,048,202 MT, which was 17 percent less than in 2018. The decrease was mostly attributed to a zero capelin catch, but there were also declines in the volumes of flatfish and shellfish. The demersal catch was on par with the previous year.
The country’s aquaculture sector harvested 34,000 MT of products last year, which was 80 percent more than the 19,100 MT produced in 2018.
Photo courtesy of J_K/Shutterstock
