The Icelandic fishing fleet landed seafood with a total value of ISK 137.6 billion (USD 1.2 billion, EUR 1.1 billion) in the 12 months from October 2015 to September 2016, a decrease of 10 percent year-on-year.
During this period, the value of the country’s demersal, pelagic and shellfish catches decreased by 4.6 percent, 29 percent and 12 percent respectively, while a 9.1 percent value increase was posted for its flatfish landings, according to new figures published by Statistics Iceland.
The country’s demersal catch achieved a value of ISK 97.5 billion (USD 857.7 million, EUR 821.3 million), with only cod and ocean redfish posted any increase in value – up 2 percent and 5.2 percent to ISK 60.3 billion (USD 530.4 million, EUR 507.9 million) and ISK 597.4 million (USD 5.3 million, EUR 5 million) respectively.
At the same time, its pelagic earnings totaled ISK 26.5 billion (USD 233.1 million, EUR 223.2 million). In this category, blue whiting was the only species to provide any growth – up 4.7 percent to ISK 5.5 billion (USD 48.4 million, EUR 46.3 million). The value of the Icelandic mackerel and herring catches were down 0.9 percent and 36.3 percent to ISK 10.3 billion (USD 90.6 million, EUR 86.8 million) and ISK 5.6 billion (USD 49.3 million, EUR 47.1 million) respectively.
The value of Iceland’s flatfish landings reached ISK 9.9 billion (USD 87.1 million, EUR 83.4 million), while its shellfish catch value amounted to ISK 3.7 billion (USD 32.5 million, EUR 31.1 million).
Around ISK 71.7 billion (USD 625.4 million, EUR 599.2 million) worth of Iceland’s catch went directly for domestic processing, while ISK 20.1 billion (USD 176.8 million, EUR 169.4 million) worth was sold at auction for domestic processing in the 12-month period.
Landings valued at ISK 5.3 billion (USD 46.6 million, EUR 44.7 million) were exported in containers and the frozen-at-sea catch totaled ISK 39.4 billion (USD 346.6 million, EUR 332 million).
