Invertebrates

Various invertebrate species are fished in Icelandic waters, but they are less important economically than the fishes. Furthermore, the invertebrate fisheries are specialized and often localized in nature. This applies to the scallop, nephrops lobster, whelk and ocean quahog fisheries, four of the five most important invertebrate fisheries. The fifth major invertebrate species fished, and also the most valuable, is the shrimp. Most of the shrimp fisheries are conducted by trawlers in deep waters (300 – 600 m) north of Iceland. The sixth important species is the blue mussel, which is not really fished but grown in mariculture.

Molluscs

Many different mollusc species live around Iceland, but only a few are large or abundant enough to sustain catches. Blue mussel, ocean quahog, Iceland scallop and common whelk are described separately, but other species that are edible and have sometimes been collected (mainly for domestic use) are the horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus), common cockle (Cardium edule) and soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria). A limited quantity of red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) is also grown in aquaculture. These are not native to Iceland.

Several cephalopod species have been described in Icelandic waters. However, they have never been considered important players in the ecosystem over the continental shelf and are not fished regularly. Very little is known about them and studies are few and far between. Occasionally large numbers of European flying squid (Todaroides sagittatus) are noticed and sometimes fished, mostly for bait with specialized handlines. The highest catch was 1,600 tonnes in 1984, but catches have been negligible since then. The European flying squid is not considered a resident stock on the continental shelf, but a visitor from deeper waters, perhaps outside the Icelandic EEZ. Squid are probably very common in deep waters off the continental shelf, as toothed whales are abundant there, and squid make up their main diet. Besides that, virtually nothing is known about the squid species around Iceland.

Crustaceans

Fisheries for northern shrimp and nephrops lobster are quite important in Icelandic waters. The most important shrimping areas are north of the country while the lobster is fished in the south. Some species of crabs are found around Iceland, but no large scale crab fisheries have been conducted. Several attempts have been made to fish crabs, but have not proved to be economical. Only one large species is really abundant all around the country, the spider crab (Hyas araneus). This is also the species that has sustained the most catches. The spider crab is suitable for soup making, but the legs and claws are small so it does not yield much of the valuable crab meat. Spiny crabs (Lithodes maja) have also been fished in low amounts in deeper waters and Atlantic rock crab (Cancer irrotatus) in shallower waters. These give more meat than the spider crabs, but are rarer.

Echinoderms

Two species of echinoderms have been harvested, green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) and sea cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa). Both are large and relatively abundant all around the country. The sea cucumbers are smoked, but the sea urchin roe is frozen. Fisheries for both of these species are low these days. Sea urchin fisheries reached 1500 t in 1994, but soon afterwards the markets collapsed and catches have been low. The sea cucumber fisheries have just recently started.

Sea cucumber - stock status (from the Marine Research institute)

In 2010, about 2 250 t of sea cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa) were landed. A fishery for human consumption has been developing since 2003, but annual landings were minimal until 2008. MRI recommends a harvesting policy of 10% of estimated stock size in each subarea, within each of the three fishing areas off Iceland, and a limited number of fishing licenses.

Sea urchin - stock status (from the Marine Research institute)

Harvesting of sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) commenced in 1993. Total landings reached a maximum of 1 500 t in 1994 but declined rapidly and were negligible in the years 1997–2003. The fishery was resumed in 2004 with landings amounting to 140 t and 146 t in 2009 and 2010, compared to around 130 t in the years 2007–2008. CPUE was 405 kg/hour in 2010, having fluctuated between 380 and 480 since 2006. Areas with good quality sea urchins are limited in size, which requires a precautionary management strategy.

References and further information

References: (Einarsson, 1988), (Einarsson, 1994), (Gunnarsson et al, 1998), (Jónsson, 1998), (Therkildsen & Petersen, 2006).

For full citation and further information on the main species in general see this page

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