The total catch of Icelandic fishing vessels amounted to 108,612 tons in March 2009, which is a considerable drop, 36 percent, compared to March last year. The main influential factor is that no quota was issued for capelin in March.
Fishing in Iceland. Copyright: Icelandic Photo Agency.
However, the demersal fish catch increased by almost ten percent in the same period, according to a press release from the Federation of Icelandic Fishing Vessel Owners (LÍÚ), based on information from Statistics Iceland.
In the demersal fish category, the cod catch increased by 5,000 tons and the redfish catch by 11,000 tons, while the haddock catch remained the same and the saithe catch decreased by 1,100 tons from March 2008 to March 2009.
Minister of Fisheries Steingrímur J. Sigfússon is not planning to increase the cod fishing quota in the next season, despite the Icelandic Marine Research Institute’s concluding that the cod stock is growing by nine percent compared to 2008, for the second year in a row, Morgunbladid reports.
Sigfússon reasoned that this development could enable Icelandic fisheries authorities to reestablish responsible quota issuing.
Managing director of LÍÚ Fridrik J. Arngrímsson is hopeful that these results will prompt the minister to issue a quota similar to the quota issued during the current season. The cod fishing quota was increased by Sigfússon’s predecessor in January.
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