Capelin Fishery

The capelin fishery targets Mallotus villosus, a small short-lived forage fish of the North Atlantic and North Pacific, mostly with purse seine and pelagic trawl. Capelin is a reduction-fishery staple turned into fishmeal and oil, with roe sold to Japan, and it is the dominant prey of cod, seabirds, and marine mammals, so managers set quotas against an escapement target that leaves enough spawning biomass for predators. Iceland, Norway, and Russia run the Barents Sea and Iceland-East Greenland-Jan Mayen stocks under ICES advice; recruitment swings are wide, and the Iceland capelin fishery was closed in several recent years when surveys fell below the spawning floor.