In the summer of 2008, mackerel samples were collected east of the country within Icelandic and Faroese jurisdiction and the sorting properties of the mackerel were assessed.
The samples were collected from three vessels, they were taken from a separator on deck as soon as the catch was pumped on board. 30 fish from each vessel were measured per week. The following factors were measured; total length, standard length, head length, bowl length, tails, width, height, circumference and weight in addition, the sex of fish was analyzed. The fish was decapitated and gutted on board the freezer vessels before it was frozen.
The smallest mackerel were 29 cm, but they did not reach 1% of the total number. The longest was mackerel, which was 35-39 cm. Mackerel that was 40 cm or longer was 20% of the total number of samples, the largest samples were 44 cm long and were 1% of the total number. Mackerel will be at most 60 cm long.
The smallest mackerel was about 250 grams but mackerel that weighed less than 300 grams was 4% of the total sample. The vast majority of samples ranged from 300 - 599 grams or 80% of the total, although the relative majority of samples were 400-499 grams or 31%. The heaviest samples were over 700 grams and the heaviest was 790 grams, the proportion of samples over 700 grams was 3%. When the sex division is examined, it can be seen that 65% of the samples were snagged and 35% spawned.
Initial observations of the classification of mackerel from herring have been carried out using Style classifiers. In the Style classifiers, the sorting channels transport the raw material down to the conveyor belts and the dimension of the belts is adjustable, so that the smallest fish first falls onto the conveyor belts but the larger fish continues and later falls onto the conveyor belts which transport it further to processing. When the classifier was set solely to classify mackerel, the herring immediately fell onto a conveyor belt that transported herring and small mackerel in a train, which was then landed for smelting. When the classifier was set to classify both herring and mackerel, the dimension of the straps was smaller in the front half of the classifier but much larger in the back half, so the herring could be sorted from the mackerel, but this precludes the possibility of classifying the fish. The disadvantage of this method is that small mackerel slips with the herring and then has to be lost from the herring catch.
The largest exporters of frozen mackerel, along with roe and liver, are Norway and the United Kingdom, with a combined total of over 50% of world export value. Other countries that export mackerel to some extent are the Netherlands, Ireland, Mauritania, Canada, Germany, the United States and China. The buyers of these products are mostly Japanese, Russians and Chinese.
The largest market for frozen mackerel is in Japan, where 26% of the total market value is located. On the other hand, the Japanese do not buy mackerel from Icelanders, the reason being that the mackerel that enters Icelandic jurisdiction is in food and fats very quickly after spawning, which causes loosening in the fish muscle. The Japanese therefore buy autumn and winter-caught mackerel mostly from Norway and Britain, which is of higher and more equal quality.
When looking at markets for mackerel products, it is clear that markets in Japan and Eastern Europe are the most prosperous markets in terms of both volume and price. While mackerel is only caught during the summer in Icelandic jurisdiction, it is not possible to sell mackerel on the Japanese market, but markets in Eastern Europe show interest in summer-caught mackerel and buyers were willing to pay over 2500 usd / ton in the summer of 2008.
The project was funded by AVS.