The processing of capelin roe for the Japanese market is underway with the most valuable part of the fishing season ahead.
Capelin fishing. Photo: Bjarni Brynjólfsson/Iceland Review.
The capelin are larger than last year and the position of Icelandic producers is strong on the lucrative Japanese market, ruv.is reports.
Capelin fishing mostly takes part off the southeast coast of Iceland these days. Fishermen have reported that there is plenty of capelin but that they are rather spread out and catches are small.
Spawning is currently taking place with the roe transported to Neskaupstaður and Vestmannaeyjar (the Westman Islands).
According to the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fishery and Aquaculture (Nofima), the Japanese fry the roe and eat them as bar snacks, consuming around 20,000 tons of capelin roe annually (according to 2010 figures).
Minister of Industries and Innovation Steingrímur J. Sigfússon recently announced a significant increase to the capelin fishing quota.
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ZR
