Pair trawling for herring working well for Icelandic fishermen

The time of year when pelagic pair trawling for herring is the most effective method is here. According to Gudlaugur Jónsson, skipper of Ingunn AK, fishing has been very good and production at the Vopnafjördur factory has also been going well now that the flow of raw material has been resumed after a spell of bad weather at the end of last week that interrupted fishing, according to HB Grandi.

‘We're towing opposite Faxi RE after we took Lundey NS's place now that they are steaming to Vopnafjördur with a good catch,' Gudlaugur Jónsson said when we spoke to him while Faxi and Ingunn were towing together in the Héradsflói Deeps. From these grounds the steaming time to Vopnafjördur is only six to eight hours, so the fishing is managed around the pelagic freezing factory's production capacity.

According to Gudlaugur Jónsson, experience has shown that pair trawling on herring is a more effective method on herring in the autumn. At this time of the year the fish are jumpy and are more easily caught by two vessels with one set of gear than by trawlers operating independently. He commented that the fish are in good condition and are big grades with an average size of 380 to 410 grammes. They can fish all through the day, but the fishing is best from the evening and into the night hours. Mackerel by-catches are minimal. Of the 625 tonnes that Ingunn landed at Vopnafjördur that are now being processed, only 25 tonnes were mackerel.