Catch by Icelandic vessels in September 2024 amounted to 98 thousand tonnes, representing an 18% decrease compared with September the year before. Catches of all major demersal species increased, with cod landings reaching nearly 21 thousand tonnes, marking a 19% rise compared with September 2023, haddock landings increasing by 11% and saithe by 9%. Flatfish catches also saw a 57% increase.
The decline was primarily in pelagic species, with no capelin caught and limited catches of blue whiting and mackerel. The pelagic catch mainly consisted of nearly 58 thousand tonnes of herring, which is 28% less than in September 2023.
The catch over the 12-month period from October 2023 to September 2024 totaled just over one million tonnes, a 27% reduction compared with the same period a year earlier. This decline is largely attributable to the absence of capelin fishing during the past year. However, demersal fish landings increased by 5% between these periods.