Slow start to herring fishery
Lundey NS leaves for the Atlanto-Scandian herring fishing grounds.
HB Grandi’s pelagic vessels got off to a leisurely start on Atlanto-Scandian herring as Lundey NS arrived on fishing grounds 180 nautical miles north-east of Vopnafjördur at midday on Friday 28 May.
Vessel Ingunn AK was scheduled to sail the same day and Faxi RE was expected to follow on Sunday 30 May.
Lundey’s skipper, Arnthór Hjörleifsson, said there were already five Icelandic vessels fishing on the grounds as he arrived, with steady fishing of from 100 to 200 tonnes per haul.
"Some skippers prefer to tow longer than others, from three up to six hours. From what I’ve been hearing, it seems that conditions are similar to when the season started last year. The herring are fairly deep during the day but come up close to the surface for a few hours either side of midnight, and that’s when it’s most easily caught," Hjörleifsson said.
The present fishing grounds are around 180 nautical miles north-east of Vopnafjördur and are inside the Icelandic EEZ.
This area is only 40 nautical miles from the stretch of international waters known as the Herring Loophole.
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