Icelandic vessels report strong blue whiting catches in Faroese waters

Icelandic fishing crews say they have not seen such high blue whiting catches in Faroese waters in years, according to a report by Faroese broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya.

Vessels operated by Síldarvinnslan, an Icelandic fishing company, have landed around 37,000 tonnes of blue whiting in recent days, leaving 22,000 tonnes of the quota remaining. The ships are fishing south of the Faroe Islands, near the Faroe Bank, with some hauls reaching up to 900 tonnes per trawl.

One skipper told Fiskifréttir, an Icelandic fishing industry publication, that the blue whiting stock appears “very abundant.” Another captain noted that they had never before filled the ship’s hold five times in a single trip.

Faroese vessels in the same area are also reporting strong catches of the species.