Norwegian Pelagic Fishing Report – Week 38 of 2025.
Stormy Weather Halts Mackerel Fishery, Low Landings Reported
Mackerel
Last week’s mackerel fishery was heavily hampered by bad weather, with only 5,800 tonnes reported. The best day was Wednesday with 2,000 tonnes.
In total, 61 vessels across different fleet groups participated, with catches ranging from 500 kilos up to 360 tonnes by Ola Ryggefjord.
The poor landings were largely due to storms keeping vessels in port for much of the week. Mackerel also disappeared from the Norwegian Sea, where just one Faroese vessel landed 150 tonnes.
The bulk of landings, 5,100 tonnes, came southeast of Shetland. In the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, vessels fishing west of Bergen landed only 400 tonnes in total. Along the coast, small boats from Rogaland to Møre delivered 178 tonnes.
Average sizes offshore fell compared to earlier in the season, ranging between 399 and 530 grams, with an average of 465 grams. Coastal fish averaged 300–360 grams. With 31,300 tonnes left of the 152,000-tonne quota, vessels are expected to head out again off Shetland this week, though poor weather could continue to hinder progress.
North Sea Herring
Six vessels landed 310 tonnes of North Sea herring from coastal, Norwegian and British waters. Sizes ranged from 170 grams up to 350 grams, with Vestervik reporting the largest at Øygarden.
Offshore Sprat
Two Danish vessels landed 3,500 tonnes of offshore sprat, with Gitte Henning contributing 2,200 tonnes over two trips. The fishery was further north than usual in the Danish part of the EU zone.
Coastal Sprat
The season opened in Rogaland on 14 September and in Hardangerfjord on 17 September. Despite positive survey results in Hardanger, catches were abandoned as the sprat was too small to meet length requirements.
Blue Whiting
Three vessels landed 1,700 tonnes of blue whiting, with Sille Marie recording the largest catch at 1,100 tonnes. The fishery took place along the slope from south of Egersund to west of Sognefjord.
