Missing fish

The Icelandic Marine Institute has postponed the search for capelin to the north of Iceland after an unsuccessful search by a fleet of vessels last week. Fréttabladid and Morgunbladid report that scientists at the institute say they will try again in a few days in the hope that the situation will have improved. The scientists have suggested that the capelin have moved locations, possibly because of higher ocean temperatures. However, their absence could also indicate the collapse of the capelin stock in this region, which would be a serious blow to the Icelandic fishing industry. Gunnthór B. Ingvarson, of the CEO’s office at Síldarvinnslan in Neskaupstaður in eastern Iceland, one of the country’s biggest fish companies, says that if the capelin stock collapsed, “a large number of seamen and land workers would face a serious drop in income. This would extend to the companies, and indeed the whole national economy.”