Capelin fishery. (Photo: Stock File)

Capelin TAC set at 57,000 tonnes

Following the recommendations of the Marine Research Institute on an acceptable capelin TAC for the coming season, the Ministry of Fisheries decided to establish TAC at 57,000 tonnes.

Of this, only 12,100 tonnes will go to Icelandic vessels. And, taking exchanges between species into account, just 11,500 tonnes of capelin will be left for the Icelandic pelagic fleet this season.

‘If larger amounts of capelin are not measured and the quota is not increased, this means that HB Grandi’s vessels will have only around 2,000 tonnes to catch,’ HB Grandi CEO, Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson, said.

The interested parties and the Marine Research Institute’s specialists have been having meetings over a possible new survey this week.

The purpose of this study would be to know the distribution of capelin north and north-west of Iceland and have a clearer picture of the current situation.

The acoustic winter capelin survey was conducted on research vessels Bjarni Sæmundsson and Árni Friðriksson along with fishing vessel Polar Amaroq from 11 to 20 January 2017 to estimate the size of the maturing stock of capelin.

The Marine Research Institute informed that the survey extended from the continental shelf and the edge of the continental shelf from the Denmark Strait, eastwards along the north coast and as far as the northern part of the East fjords.

Two measurement surveys were made on the stock. The first was from 12 to 15 January and capelin was found from the southern part of the West fjords northwards and east as far as the Kolbeinsey Ridge. No indications of mature capelin were found further east.

The second survey was from the 17 to 20 of January on the area from the Kolbeinsey Ridge to the west of it.

Approximately 398,000 tonnes of mature capelin were identified in the first survey and margins for error were put at 0.2., while in the second survey 493,000 tonnes were measures with a margin for error of 0.23.

The mean of these two surveys gives an estimated figure of 446,000 tonnes as the stock of mature capelin.

The catch rule in effect since the spring of 2015 is based on leaving 150,000 tonnes of the stock, with 95 per cent likelihood for spawning.

This level takes into account measurement error, the growth and mortality rates of capelin, as well as predation on capelin by cod, haddock ad saithe.

[email protected]
www.seafood.media

Address:	Skúlagötu 4 - P.O. Box 1390
City:	Reykjavík
State/ZIP:	(121)
Country:	Iceland
Phone:	+354 575 2000
Fax:	+354 575 2001
E-Mail:	[email protected]
More about:

Print