Iceland’s fishing fleet landed 94,803 metric tons (MT) of seafood last month, an increase of 3.9 percent or 3,547 MT year-on-year, according to the latest figures published by Statistics Iceland.
The country’s total demersal catch increased by 8.9 percent to 26,425 MT, thanks to improved landings of cod, haddock, saithe and redfish. At the same time, its flatfish catch was 130.1 percent higher at 2,722 MT due to a doubling of its Greenland halibut catch, and its total pelagic haul dropped slightly to 64,418 MT with reductions in both its mackerel and herring landings.
Shellfish landings increased by 7.8 percent year-on-year to 1,218 MT with a 22 percent increase in its shrimp catch but a 18 percent drop in its lobster.
At constant prices, the volume of the catch increased by 4.2 percent last month compared with July 2014, said Statistics Iceland.
In the last 12 months, Iceland’s total catch has increased by more than 250,000 MT, up 23.3 percent. This is largely the result of a greater pelagic catch, which increased by roughly 274,000 MT during this period, it said.
