Iceland’s fishing fleet landed seafood with a total value of ISK 139.8 billion (USD 1.2 billion, EUR 1.1 billion) in the 12-month period from July 2015 to June 2016, a decrease of 8.3 percent year-on-year. For this period, the value of the country’s demersal and flatfish catches increased by 0.3 percent and 25.8 percent respectively, but the pelagic catch value decreased by 36.6 percent, according to new figures published by Statistics Iceland.
The country’s demersal catch achieved a value of almost ISK 99 billion (USD 863.6 million, EUR 783.5 million) during the 12 months, with only cod, valued at ISK 60.9 billion (USD 531.2 million, EUR 481.9 million) posting an increase. At the same time, Iceland’s flatfish landings reached almost ISK 10 billion (USD 87.2 million, EUR 79.1 million) and its shellfish catch climbed 9.8 percent in value to ISK 4 billion (USD 34.9 million, EUR 31.7 million).
But with declines in the values of the herring, capelin and mackerel landings of 35.9 percent, 61.1 percent and 31.3 percent, respectively, the total pelagic catch fell to ISK 26.8 billion (USD 233.8 million, EUR 212.1 million).
Almost ISK 73.1 billion (USD 637.7 million, EUR 578.4 million) worth of Iceland’s landings went directly for domestic processing, while ISK 20.2 billion (USD 176.2 million, EUR 159.8 million) worth was sold at auction for domestic processing in the 12-month period. Landings valued at ISK 4.8 billion (USD 41.9 million, EUR 38 million) were exported in containers and the frozen-at-sea catch totaled ISK 40.6 billion (USD 354.2 million, EUR 321.2 million).
