Challenging but good prices for Greenland halibut fishing

This year, as in previous years, Norwegian longliners and trawlers were allocated quotas for Greenland halibut. The quotas are rolled over on the Norwegian vessels, and this year Atlantic was one of three longliners that made the trip to fish for Greenland halibut.

- The vessel group we belong to derives a large part of its income from other countries' fishing zones, and Greenland fishing is a very important part of our operating base.

This is what Jan-Ove Langeland says. He is one of two skippers on board Atlantic who engage in longline fishing for species such as cod, haddock, redfish, ling, tusk and Greenland halibut.

Longer than normal

For the crew of Atlantic, this year's Greenland fishing trip was longer than normal. Three months and two crew changes in Iceland took place before the trip ended on November 27th.

- We stayed extra long this year because we were able to restock Greenland halibut from trawl quotas that were not fished out. In addition, we were able to fish some of the cod that was left over from the Norwegian bycatch quota. This came in handy as the supply of Greenland halibut was smaller this year than in previous years, he says.

Despite additional quotas, this year's season was demanding. Fishing, which takes place at depths of 6-700 fathoms (1100-1300 meters, editor's note), is expensive and involves long distances. Lower catches, weather and quality also challenged this year's fishing.

- There are large distances in Greenland. That's one of the things that makes it challenging. From where we started in August to where we ended the fishery in November, it's a little over three days to go, explains Langeland and adds:

Weather and wind

- If you are unlucky and come across a field of poor quality, or have a large mixture of species for which we do not have quotas, it can take one to three days just to change location. So it must be considered carefully.

The weather also played a big role during this year's Greenland trip. The redistribution of quotas came late in the year, during a period when the weather and wind were particularly demanding. This did not make an already difficult fishery any easier.

"But with the tusk bust that came earlier this fall, we didn't have many options. And once you've gone this far, it takes a while for you to choose to go back home," he explains.

Langeland is tolerably satisfied with this year's Greenland fishing. The final bill shows 527 tons at a first-hand value of around 25 million kroner. The experienced skipper hopes for new and better seasons.

- Halibut is worth a lot, but it also costs a lot. Just going there and back is a big cost. The redistribution saved our results this year. With the extra bycatch quota for cod, we could also fish in areas where there was a lot of interference, and that made the fishery a little more profitable, he says.

Good prices

- The halibut market has been much better this year than in previous years and we have seen very good prices.

That's according to Jon Hallvard Roaldsnes. He is the CEO of the sales company Nordic Wildfish, which buys and sells, among other things, Greenland halibut.

- We have been able to pay the fisherman 60 kroner per kilo or more, the bigger the fish the better the price. The heads have gone for 50 to 60 kroner per kilo to the boat, he says.

The company sells Greenland halibut for smoking in the European market, and to Asia where all parts of the fish, including heads and tails, are eaten in dishes such as soup and hot pot. Greenland halibut is mainly sold to Japan as this year's supplier did not have an export license to China.

- We find that the Asian market has a preference for Greenland halibut. Here they get a firmer consistency and very little "jelly fish" (fish that, due to little food, gets a jelly-like consistency, editor's note), he explains.

Top quality

Knowledge of jelly fish classification and sorting, and quick and correct processing and freezing are essential to preserving the quality of the Greenland halibut. Mistakes can lead to quality deviations and costly complaints from the market.

The quality of this year's catches has been good, we believe Roaldsnes.

- We have seen very, very good quality this year, he says.

- Most boats run quality courses for the crew ahead of the season, where they learn proper handling and quality sorting. We therefore see that generally very good quality is delivered for all frozen Greenland halibut on board.

83 kroner per kilo

Surofi, the fishermen's sales organization in Sunnmøre and Romsdal, confirms good prices for Greenland halibut this season. The catches are mainly landed in Surofi's district, and the sales team has received a total of 2,137 tonnes in round weight from Greenland this year.

- Prices have varied throughout the year due to changes in the market and currency. But for the most part, market prices have been very good, which is reflected in the prices fishermen receive.

This is explained by Anita Husevik, sales consultant at Surofi.

She points out that this year's average first-hand price for all round-weight Greenland halibut is 54.25 kroner per kilo. In comparison, line-caught Greenland halibut has achieved an average price of 63.75 kroner per kilo, and trawl-caught Greenland halibut has achieved an average price of 57.31 kroner per kilo. The highest price for trawl-caught Greenland halibut was 83 kroner and for line-caught Greenland halibut was 79.85 kroner (both JK without track 5 kg+). 

- Trawl catches often have a larger proportion of B-quality fish as a result of large hauls. This places extra demands on good sorting of jelly fish. In addition, some of the fish is frozen whole. When the market pays 83 kroner for trawl fish, it therefore shows a very good price development, concludes Husevik.

Read more about Surofi's quality course for fishermen .