HB Grandi: 1300 tonnes in four shots

Víkingur AK is now steaming to Akranes after a good trip in the Grímsey Strait with 1300 tonnes of good quality capelin on board, taken in four shots between yesterday morning and evening. According to mate Hlynur Gunnarsson, those fishing grounds have been kind to Víkingur as the fishing has been good every time they have been there, but much quieter in between Víkingur's trips, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to HB Grandi.

As we reported here earlier, Víkingur started fishing in the Grímsey Strait after Arnthór Hjörleifsson, skipper of Lundey NS, picked up news of heavy capelin marks in that area by chance at a winter festival. Víkingur started fishing there in the middle of last week and immediately had 1400 tonnes and this trip is only a little less.

‘We've certainly been fortunate to drop right onto the capelin two trips in a row,' Hlynur Gunnarsson said. ‘The Grímsey Strait has been a life-saver considering the weather at the beginning of the month as there has been a storm blowing off the east coast where most of the fleet has been trying to fish,' he said, commenting that sea conditions were good on the Grímsey grounds and the weather has been reasonably good.

‘There has been plenty of wind and fishing hasn't been that easy, but fortunately the wind has been off the land so it hasn't whipped up any heavy seas,' he said as Víkingur was steaming south past the Westfjords. He said that during the last night the weather worsened, with wind speeds of 20m/sec.

Ingunn AK is now also fishing in the Grímsey Strait and Faxi RE is steaming there from Vopnafjördur. Lundey NS is off the east coast near Papey and has its shallow purse seine on board ready for the capelin to start showing up on inshore grounds. This hasn't happened so far, but there is every expectation that the capelin will appear there before long.