Faroese fishing industry
Faroe Islands is totally dependent on fisheries. More than 95% of the export is fish and fish products. The fishing fleet comprises a variety of fishing vessels from small traditional boats to very large and modern fishing ships. Modern factories on land produce all kind of products from the different fish species.
Demersal fish species
The most importan local bottom fish species are: Cod (gadus morhua), Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) and Saith (Pollacius virens). Other species are: Redfish (Sebastes spp.), Whiting (Merlangius merlangus), Skate (Raja spp), Monkfish (Lophius piscatorius) and flatfishes as Halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) and Lemon Sole (Microstomus kitt). A total of approximately 100.000 tons of bottom species have been taken from the Faroese continental shelf annually.
Pelagic fish species
Pelagic fish species such as Blue Whiting (Micromesistius poutassou), Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and Herring (Clupea harengus) are also abundant in the Faroese area part of the year.
Fish farming
From fish farms in the fjords a total of 50.000 tons of Salmon (Salmo salar) is harvested annually.
Deep-sea fish species
Recent years Faroese trawlers, longliners and gill-netters have worked deeper waters resulting in catches of "new" deep sea fish species. These species are: Greater Silver Smelt (Argentina silus), Blue Ling (Molva byrkelange), Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), Roundnose grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris), Black scabbard fish (Aphanus carbo), Orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) and Sharks.
Distant waters
According to bilateral agreements Faroese fishing vessels are allowed to fish in distant waters. Large factory trawlers fish for cod in the Barents Sea, modern purse seiners fish for mackerel, herring and blue whiting in North Atlantic, longliners target bottom fish in Icelandic waters and shrimps, sebastes and greenland halibut are fished off Greenland and Canada.
Tuna in Faroe Islands
On the initiative of Nancy Ltd. Japanese vessels were allowed to conduct experimental long-lining for tuna inside Faroese territory in 1997. Three vessels operated during September to November. A total of 416.411 hooks were set resulting in a catch of 229.456 kg (2.523 pc) of bluefin tuna. The experiment was continued in 1998 starting in late July, but the catch per vessel was only half the catch of the previous year. The following years the catch dwindled further and the activities ceased all together. The season is short and only bluefin tuna has been caught. Faroese waters are rather cold: 10°C in summer and 6°C in winter.
