Norwegian Pelagic Fishing Report – Week 34 of 2025.
Rødholmen on the mackerel fishing this weekend. Photo: Ytterstad Fiskeriselskap AS/Facebook
Record Mackerel Haul as 130 Boats Land 27,000 Tonnes
Norwegian Sea Delivers Unusually Large Mackerel With 517g Average
The Norwegian pelagic fleet recorded one of its strongest mackerel weeks this season, landing 27,000 tonnes from 130 vessels operating in the Norwegian Sea.
Ringnetters contributed the bulk of the catch with 22,400 tonnes, while coastal vessels landed 2,000 tonnes, non-licensed purse seiners (SUK) 1,900 tonnes, and trawlers 700 tonnes. Wednesday produced the highest single-day landing at just under 7,000 tonnes, before northerly gales reduced fishing activity and yields later in the week.
Catch sizes ranged from 800 kg on a small coastal boat to 580 tonnes landed by Rødholmen in just two hauls on Saturday. The main fishing grounds were 180–200 nautical miles northwest of Ålesund, where the mackerel have been described as unusually large. Reported weights ranged from 460 to 570 grams, with a weighted average of 517 grams.
In contrast, coastal fishing from Møre south to Rogaland produced only 700 tonnes, with an average size of 340 grams. Almost all of last week’s catch was taken with purse seine gear, with only a handful of trawl landings reported.
Based on catches from Norwegian and foreign vessels this summer, it appears food availability in the Norwegian Sea has been strong, with frequent reports of baitfish inside mackerel stomachs. Of Norway’s annual quota of just over 150,000 tonnes, 54,000 tonnes have been taken to date, more than one-third by the end of August.
North Sea Herring Landings
A total of 4,000 tonnes of North Sea herring were reported last week, the majority taken by two Danish vessels and one Northern Irish vessel, which together landed 3,800 tonnes. The Danish vessel Astrid recorded the largest single haul at 1,650 tonnes.
Average size was 220 grams, with Danish boats fishing southeast of Shetland and the Northern Irish vessel operating near Fair Isle. Norwegian boats recorded smaller catches southeast of Egersund, and three coastal boats landed larger herring of more than 300 grams.
Blue Whiting and Sprat
Four foreign vessels and one Norwegian vessel landed 6,700 tonnes of sprat, with catches ranging from 420 tonnes up to 1,465 tonnes by the Danish vessel Ceton. The fishery was concentrated on traditional sprat banks in the Dutch sector of the EU zone. Of Norway’s 10,000-tonne quota, 7,200 tonnes have now been taken under a rotation system.
Meanwhile, two vessels reported 1,600 tonnes of blue whiting from “the Edge” (Continental Shelf) fishing grounds, stretching from west of Bømlo to southwest of Egersund.
