Iceland’s fishing fleet achieved total first-sales approaching ISK 144.2 billion (USD 1.2 billion, EUR 1.1 billion) in the 12 months through September 2019, representing an increase of 15.4 percent year-on-year.
Preliminary first-sale figures gathered by Iceland's Direcrorate of Fisheries found this double-digit rise is the result of a 24.5 percent spike in the demersal sector’s earnings, which amounted to ISK 110.3 billion (USD 910.3 million, EUR 820.6 million).
Within the demersal sector, the total first-sales value of cod climbed 19.5 percent to almost ISK 68 billion (USD 561.2 million, EUR 505.9 million). At the same time, the catch values increased for haddock by 56.5 percent to ISK 14.7 billion (USD 121.3 million, EUR 109.4 million); saithe by 45.4 percent to ISK 10.5 billion (USD 86.7 million, EUR 78.1 million); and redfish by 13.7 percent to ISK 11.8 billion (USD 97.4 million, EUR 87.8 million).
Meanwhile, the pelagic catch value for the same period fell 5.7 percent year-on-year to less than ISK 22.6 billion (USD 186.5 million, EUR 168.1 million). Within this category, mackerel revenues increased by 12.6 percent to ISK 8.6 billion (USD 71 million, EUR 64 million), the herring value improved 63.2 percent to ISK 6.7 billion (USD 55.3 million, EUR 49.8 million), and the blue whiting earnings was up 15.6 percent to ISK 7.2 billion (USD 59.4 million, EUR 53.6 million). However, no capelin was sold by the fleet.
Shellfish revenues amounted to ISK 1.8 billion (USD 14.9 million, EUR 13.4 million), down 31.7 percent, and the total flatfish catch value fell 2.3 percent to ISK 9.5 billion (USD 78.4 million, EUR 70.7 million).
Over the course of the 12 months, ISK 76.7 billion (USD 633.1 million, EUR 570.6 million) worth of Iceland’s total catch went directly for domestic processing, an increase of 9.5 percent, and products valued at ISK 22.8 billion (USD 188.2 million, EUR 169.6 million) were sold at auction for domestic processing, an increase of 22.3 percent.
Landings, valued at ISK 6.6 billion (USD 54.5 million, EUR 49.1 million), were exported in containers, up 26.9 percent, and the frozen-at-sea catch increased by 20.6 percent year-on-year to ISK 37.1 billion (USD 306.2 million, EUR 276 million).
Photo courtesy of Johann Ragnarsson/Shutterstock
