LOWER COSTS AND LESS TROUBLE

HB Grandi’s fresher trawler Ásbjörn RE is now steaming to Ísafjördur with around 80 tonnes of fish caught over two days on Westfjords fishing grounds. This is its second half-landing this trip, as last Sunday Ásbjörn was alongside in Ísafjördur with 90 tonnes of fish.

‘We left Reykjavík last Thursday and started fishing in the Reykjafjördur Gully. After the fishing dropped in that area we moved west to the Thverál area and then the Hali grounds, and that’s where we have been,’ said skipper Fridleifur Einarsson, commenting that these half-landings make a big difference.

‘It’s completely different. We’re eight hours from Ísafjördur, and if we were to steam to Reykjavík with our fish we would be looking at steaming for twenty hours, along with the fuel costs that would entail.’

After landing in Ísafjördur, Ásbjörn is to go back to sea and is expected in Reykjavík next Monday.

‘Fishing has been good. Most of the catch is cod and we have had some saithe and redfish as well. There has been some excellent fishing here on saithe on occasions and the fish are excellent sizes. We haven’t seen a lot of haddock this trip, which is as well, because as everyone knows, the quota is limited,’ he said.

So far Ásbjörn has not fished any mackerel, although that could be set to change soon.

‘Of the freshers, Ottó N Thorláksson has finished on mackerel and as far as I know, Sturlaugur H Bödvarsson is fishing now. We don’t have a large amount to catch, and it’s around 130 tonnes, so we expect that to be enough for two trips,’ Fridleifur Einarsson said.