Iceland’s fishing fleet landed seafood with a total value of ISK 142 billion (USD 1.2 billion, EUR 1.1 billion) in the 12-month period from June 2015 to May 2016, a decrease of 5.6 percent year-on-year. In this period, the value of the country’s demersal and flatfish catches increased by 3.2 percent and 35.5 percent, respectively. However, the pelagic catch’s value decreased by 34.5 percent, according to new figures published by Statistics Iceland.
The country’s demersal catch achieved a value in excess of ISK 100.1 billion (USD 873.6 million, EUR 776.4 million) during the 12 months, thanks to higher earnings from both cod and haddock, valued at ISK 61.4 billion (USD 535.8 million, EUR 476.3 million) and ISK 10.8 billion (USD 94.3 million, EUR 83.6 million) respectively.
At the same time, its flatfish landings reached almost ISK 10.1 billion (USD 88.3 million, EUR 78.2 million) and its shellfish catch climbed 12.9 percent in value to ISK 4.1 billion (USD 35.8 million, EUR 31.8 million).
But with declines in the values of the herring, capelin and mackerel landings of 35.7 percent, 61.1 percent and 31.9 percent, respectively, the total pelagic catch fell to ISK 27.7 billion (USD 242.1 million, EUR 214.5 million).
Almost ISK 39 billion (USD 341 million, EUR 302 million) worth of Iceland’s landings went directly for domestic processing, while ISK 20.3 billion (USD 177.5 million, EUR 157.2 million) worth was sold at auction for domestic processing in the 12-month period. Landings valued at ISK 4.7 billion (USD 41.1 million, EUR 36.4 million) were exported in containers and the frozen-at-sea catch totaled ISK 41.5 billion (USD 362.8 million, EUR 321.3 million).
