Murmansk-based fishing company OOO Persey (ltd) and Saint Petersburg shipbuilders OAO Pella (plc) have launched a joint project for construction of a series of high-tech longliners for sustainable bottomfish operations in the Barents Sea, reports http://www.megafishnet.com/

Senegal's new government has revoked the licenses of 29 foreign fishing trawlers and demanded that they land their catches in the capital Dakar before leaving the country's waters. The ban first of all has touched Russian vessels, namely 10 trawlers owned by Murmansk Trawl Fleet who used to harvest ca.*** MT of Senegal fish during the season which accounted for **% of the total harvest of local fishermen, reports http://www.megafishnet.com/

HB Grandi's freezer trawler Helga Maria AK is due to dock in Reykjavik tomorrow after a short trip. The 7000 cartons on board will be landed and a new Hampidjan Gloria pelagic trawl will be taken on board for the redfish season that is about to start. According to skipper Eirikur Ragnarsson, there is no great pressure as the redfish quotas have been cut significantly since last year, reports www.megafishnet.com

Production from the 1540 tonne landing by Faxi RE finished last Friday at HB Grandi's fishmeal plant in Vopnafjordur. According to factory manager Sveinbjorn Sigmundsson, this was the last full trip of blue whiting that the company's vessels will have this year and the outlook is now that production at Vopnafjordur will not start again until the end of June when fishing on mackerel and Atlanto-Scandian herring begins, reports www.megafishnet.com.

In April 2012 the fishery activity continued developing and, according to estimated figures, through the month the Russian harvest in the Atlantic Ocean amounted to *** MT, *** MT up on March 2012. The contribution of Kaliningrad-based vessels amounted to ca.**%, reports www.megafishnet.com.

HB Grandi's pelagic vessel Faxi RE is now close to finishing its last targeted trip on blue whiting for the year, and is currently at a position around 70 nautical miles south of the Faroe Islands. Faxi has around 1200 tonnes on board already and chief mate Ebenezer Gudmundsson said that they are hoping to have filled up by the end of today. As Faxi has a maximum carrying capacity of 1550 tonnes, there is every chance that they will be setting for Vopnafjordur later today, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to HB Grandi.

The world's largest seafood exhibition, an annual event held in Brussels, closes today. Around thirty Icelandic companies took part this time, among them HB Grandi. According to Svavar Svavarsson, the company's marketing director, this event has proved its worth time and again - and this year is no exception, reports www.megafishnet.com

The blue whiting season is already coming to an end and the company's vessels now have only 2500 tonnes of their 12,600 tonne quota left to catch. This isn't a big quota, but is still a big improvement on last year's quota when HB Grandi's pelagic vessels had less than 1000 tonnes, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to HB Grandi.

Faxi RE docked at Vopnafjordur this morning with a full load of between 1450 and 1500 tonnes of blue whiting on board. The fish were caught at the southern end of the Faroese EEZ and according to Hjalti Einarsson, who was skipper for the trip, there have been pelagic vessels fishing over a wide area there. The blue whiting do not appear to be forming tight shoals and 300 to 350 tonnes is normal for a nine- to ten-hour tow, reports www.megafishnet.com

‘We have 370 tonnes of blue whiting on board now after three fairly short tows. There was some talk of landing in the Faroes, but that idea was scratched when it became clear that getting a landing spot there is easier said than done. There's a queue to discharge in the Faroes at the moment,' said Gudlaugur Jonsson, skipper of HB Grandi's pelagic vessel Ingunn AK when we spoke to him on Friday when Ingunn was fishing on blue whiting around 70 nautical miles south of the southern point of the Faroe Islands, reports www.megafishnet.com

The blue whiting season is already in progress and several Icelandic vessels have already joined the fishery. Three of HB Grandi's pelagic vessels, Ingunn AK, Faxi RE and Lundey NS, are scheduled to fish on blue whiting this year. Ingunn sailed last night and is steaming to fishing grounds. Faxi and Lundey are expected to sail tonight or tomorrow, reports www.megafishnet.com.

In March 2012 the fishery activity continued developing and, according to estimated figures, through the month the Russian harvest in the Atlantic Ocean amounted to 118,400 MT, 8,900 MT up on February 2012. The contribution of Kaliningrad-based vessels amounted to ca.20%, reports www.megafishnet.com.

In 2011 Russia's Federal Fisheries Agency acting under the provisions of the Federal Law on Fishery has revoked 287 contracts with holders of capture quota shares, of which 226 were revoked on a voluntary basis and 61 under court decision, reports http://www.megafishnet.com/

HB Grandi's pelagic vessels finished their capelin season at the end of last week with 1583 tonnes of the quota left uncaught, or less than 1.50% of their allocated 110,000 tonne quota. Production came to an end at Vopnafjordur last week while at Akranes the last landings of capelin were enough to keep production going into the middle of this week, reports www.megafishnet.com.

In mid-March 2012 Knipovich Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (PINRO) hosted a scientific council which discussed forecast for fish catches in 2013 and concluded that their dynamics could be mixed, reports http://www.megafishnet.com/

HB Grandi's pelagic vessels now have around 1500 tonnes of their capelin quota remaining to be caught and the skippers hope to catch what they have left this week. Ingunn AK has finished its season, while the others are still fishing - although currently sitting out a storm in the shelter of Gardskagi, reports www.megafishnet.com.

The results of HB Grandi's annual audit of its fish production have been received and the only verdict that can be given is that these are some excellent results. The audit is carried out according to International Food Standard (IFS) criteria and the audit carried out in January saw the company's fish processing plants in Reykjavik, Akranes and Vopnafjordur given a 98% rating, reports www.megafishnet.com

The capelin season's end is approaching and this year there seems to be a good chance of the full quota being caught. It is of course impossible to say with any kind of accuracy just how long the fishery will last, but if the capelin are available through next week and the weather holds, the prospects look good, reports www.megafishnet.com

‘We're on the Selvogur Bank after some time in the Skerja Deeps. Most of what we are getting is redfish but the saithe hasn't showed up since before New Year. But they come and go, and I have no doubt that they will appear soon enough,' said Kristinn Gestsson, skipper or HB Grandi's factory trawler Therney RE, reports www.megafishnet.com.

‘This capelin season has been one of the toughest because of the weather, especially over the last couple of weeks. Conditions have been appalling and have really challenged the ships, the gear and the crews. Many people have had a very rough time of it. We have been shooting on big marks in heavy seas and some people have seen their gear badly damaged,' said Gudlaugur Jonsson, skipper of HB Grandi's pelagic vessel Ingunn AK, now steaming to Vopnafjordur with between 1600 and 1700 tonnes of capelin caught in Faxa Bay on board. Ingunn is scheduled to dock at Vopnafjordur tomorrow morning, reports www.megafishnet.com