Norwegian sandeel fishery underway

This year’s Norwegian sandeel fisheryhas now been open for well over a week, reports pelagic organisation, Norges Sildesalgslag, and a total of 4,700 tonnes have been caught. There are 14 Norwegian boats and one Danish boat, “Astrid” 1,120 t, which have contributed this week’s quantity. For the Norwegian boats, the amount of catch varies from a modest 20 t to 550 t for the best boat. Most of the fish have been caught on the west side of the Vestbanken. It is reported that the sea temperature is lower than last year at the same time, so one theory is that sandeels are still buried in the sand. Last year, the best period was in the first days of May, when there was just under 23,000 tonnes caught. In addition to low sea temperatures and modest catches, north wind gales have been reported on the fields in the coming days. For blue whiting, a catch of 18,500 tonnes for the week was reported. This quantity was fished by 14 different boats, with catches ranging from just under 30 t as ...