DECENT FISHING IN LOUSY WEATHER

‘We can’t complain about the catch rate after we’ve had 600 tonnes in two hauls. But the weather is terrible,’ said Lundey NS’s skipper Arnthór Hjörleifsson when we spoke to him yesterday.

Lundey is currently fishing south-west of the Faroes after arriving on fishing ground two nights ago and shooting away just after midnight. This is fishing with long tows, indicating very dispersed fish, and Arnthór Hjörleifsson said there is nothing unusual about 10 to 12 hour tows. This is Lundey’s third trip of the blue whiting season and it has caught a total of 3600 tonnes so far.

‘It’s not easy to evaluate, but my impression is that the fish are smaller than in previous years. At least, I hear from the boats that are freezing on board that they’re not seeing as much as usual of the larger grades,’ he said.