Iceland’s fishing fleet landed fish and shellfish valued at almost ISK 126.3 billion (USD 1 billion, EUR 918.5 million) last year, representing an annual increase of 14.8 percent, first-sales data compiled by the country’s Directorate of Fisheries confirmed.
Increased values were achieved across all catch categories, with demersal landings increasing 16.9 percent to ISK 89.1 billion (USD 727.9 million, EUR 648 million), flatfish climbing 35.6 percent to ISK 10.2 billion (USD 83.3 million, EUR 74.2 million), pelagics rising 2.6 percent to ISK 24.4 million (USD 199.3 million, EUR 177.5 million), and shellfish up 7.2 percent to ISK 2.6 billion (USD 21.2 million, EUR 18.9 million).
Within the demersal group, the cod value increased by 14.5 percent to ISK 55.8 billion (USD 455.8 million, EUR 405.9 million), followed by haddock, which increased 33.2 percent with ISK 10.8 billion (USD 88.2 million, EUR 78.5 million); redfish at a 15.5 percent increase with ISK 10.2 billion (USD 83 million, EUR 74 million); and saithe which increased by 23.6 percent to ISK 7.9 billion (USD 64.5 million, EUR 57.4 million).
Mackerel was Iceland’s number one pelagic species in value terms at ISK 7.5 billion (USD 61.2 million, EUR 54.5 million), although this total was down 11.9 percent compared with 2017. Also declining, the capelin value fell by 12.2 percent to less than ISK 5.9 billion (USD 48.1 million, EUR 42.9 million). But there were increases in the blue whiting earnings of 56.1 percent at ISK 6.4 billion (USD 52.2 million, EUR 46.6 million); and herring, which had a 3.9 percent increase, to ISK 4.6 billion (USD 37.6 million, EUR 33.5 million).
In the shellfish category, the shrimp catch value climbed 21 percent to almost ISK 1.5 billion (USD 12.3 million, EUR 10.9 million), but there was a 31.9 percent reduction in the lobster earnings at ISK 567.5 million (USD 4.6 million, EUR 4.1 million).
The authority’s figures also found that during the course of 2018, some ISK 70.8 billion (USD 578.3 million, EUR 514.9 million) worth of Iceland’s total catch went directly for domestic processing, up 18 percent, while almost ISK 19.6 billion (USD 160.1 million, EUR 142.5 million) worth was sold at auction for domestic processing, an increase of 19.6 percent.
Landings valued just shy of ISK 5.8 billion (USD 47.3 million, EUR 42.2 million) were exported in containers, an increase of 40.3 percent, and the frozen-at-sea catch was up 2.3 percent compared to 2017 at ISK 29.8 billion (USD 243.5 million, EUR 216.8 million).
