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The Icelandic government will increase the capelin quota for the 2022/23 fishery. Photo: Norge Sildesalgslag/Stein Magnar-Melingen (2018)
The news that Iceland will increase the capelin quota for the 2022/23 fishery will be welcomed by offshore pelagic boats in Norway.
The Icelandic Maritime Research Institute proposes that the capelin catch in the 2022/23 season will not exceed 275,705 tonnes, which means an increase of 57,300 tonnes in the advisory from the one issued on 04 October 2022. The advisory is based on the summarised results of measurements of the size of the fishing stock during the autumn expedition (763,000 tonnes) and an expedition that took place on 23-30 January (732,000 tonnes).
The measurements in January were carried out on the ships of the Icelandic Maritime Research Agency, r/s Bjarna Sæmundsson and r/s Árna Friðriksson, together with the capelin vessels Jóna Eðvalds SF, Heimaey VE and Ásgrími Halldórsson SF. The conditions for measurements were reasonable these days and the entire predetermined research area was covered if the westernmost part was left out. There, sea ice impeded the passage.
Advice on catch limits is based on the fact that there is a 95% probability that the spawning stock in March will be over 150 000 tonnes, taking predation into account.
The increase in the quota (TAC) in Iceland goes from 218,400 tonnes to 275,705 tonnes.
This means that the Norwegian quota increases from 43,275 to 48,380, including all exchange agreements, which is an increase of 5,105 tonnes for Norwegian vessels. The factor thus increases from 1.01 to 1.12 for vessels that can fish capelin in Iceland (an increase of 0.11). This is valid retroactively from 00:00 on Friday 03 February.
