HB Grandi: Roe production gets a later start this season

It's a year to the day since capelin roe production got underway at HB Grandi's Akranes factory. The outlook for this year is that roe production probably won't start until the end of the month, for a variety of reasons, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to HB Grandi.

‘We started roe production very early last year compared to the maturity of the roe, although the roe content was higher then than it is now. The capelin have also been later finding their way up into the shallow water of the south-east coast this time and last year fishing with shallow purse seines began ten days earlier than this year. Taking into account the roe content and the maturity of the roes, we don't expect roe production to start until closer to the end of the month. But that, like everything else to do with capelin, could have all changed later today.' Said Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson, head of department at HB Grandi's pelagic division.

The capelin that appeared in the shallows has now made its way west of Ingólfshöfdi, which is roughly half-way between Akranes and Vopnafjördur with a 200 nautical mile steam each way. So far around 7000 tonnes of capelin have been landed to the two factories since Monday and Ingunn AK is expected to dock at Vopnafjördur with a further 1200 tonnes tonight. HB Grandi's other pelagic vessels are either discharging in port or on their way back to fishing grounds. The raw material tanks are almost full at Akranes and there is plenty at Vopnafjördur, so the decision was taken to send Víkingur AK to land at Fuglafjördur in the Faroe Islands with a full trip of 1300 tonnes that is being pumped ashore now.