Capelin
Latin - Mallotus villosus
Norsk - Lodde
Deutsch - Kapelan / Lodde
Français - Capelan atlantique
Nederlands - Lodde
Italiano - Mormora / Malloto
Español - Capelan
Português - Badejo




Capelin is an arctic salmon fish that spends most of the year swimming around in the Arctic Ocean where it feeds on small crustaceans. It has a slender and almost evenly-high body,
with dark spots along the edges of the small scales. The species is found from the surface and down to depths of 300 meters.

The capelin’s German and Norwegian name, Lodde, derives from the stripe of scales with hairlike elongations that develops along the flank of the male during the spawning period. In Norwegian, the male is called “faks-lodde”, whereas the female, which lacks this stripe, is called “sil-lodde”. A female capelin full of roe is
regarded as a great delicacy in Japan.

The capelin becomes sexually mature at 3–5 years of age. During the winter and spring it spawns in the large ice masses in towards Finnmark.
After the first spawning, most of the fish will die, only a few live to spawn a second time.This also explains the enormous variations in the size of the capelin stock.

In recent years, the capelin stock in the Barents Sea has been at a very low level. Poor growth- and living conditions can cause great mortality among the fry. The spawning stock accordingly varies largely from one year to the next.
This is also of concern because the capelin is an important source of food for cod and herring that grow up in this area.
Researchers think that the small size of the stock has few causes: poor recruiting year classes, increased natural death rates (feeding pressure from herring and cod) and lower individual growth.

Season:
Winter capelin fishery: January to April
Summer capelin fishery: August to November.

Fishing methods are purse seining and trawling.

Size: Rarely more than 20 cm.

Use:
Around the world and especially in Japan (capelin with roe) it is regarded as delicacy. Place it on a red-hot grill or in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes on each side.
Sprinkle with spices and eat from head to tail. The capelin is used as raw material for fishmeal and fishoil.

Nutritional content
The capelin has a rather high fat content, of about 14%, and is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. The fat content varies seasonally.

Commercial product:
Whole fish, eggs (roes) caviar.

Herring
Latin - Clupea harengus
Norsk - Sild
Deutsch - Atlantischer Hering
Français - Hareng
Nederlands - Haring
Italiano - Aringa / Aringhe
Español - Arenque
Português - Arenque

        


There are several stocks of herring living in Norwegian waters, but the Norwegian spring-spawning herring is by far the largest. There are also important stocks of herring
that live off the coast of Iceland, in the North Sea and in Skagerrak.

The Norwegan spring-spawning herring spends the winter in Vestfjorden. In February/March it migrates south to its main spawning grounds in the waters off the coast of mid-Norway. The herring then goes westwards, in search of food, before heading north and east in the autumn.
The larvae are carried north by the costal currents. The main growing grounds for the herring fry are in the Barents Sea.

Season and size:
The Norwegian fishing season mainly occurs during the period from October to March when the herring have attained a high quality and are easily accessible.
The herring fishing season for the North Sea and the Skagerrak mainly occurs during summer and autumn.

Winter herring: 2–6 fish/kg.
January to March. Fat herring: 3–6 fish/kg.
July to December. Fjord herring: 3–20 fish/kg.
August to April. North Sea herring: 3–7 fish/kg. J

Fishing methods are: purse seines, pelagic trawlers and nets.

Use
Herring is sold as fresh and frozen fillets and as whole fish. Processed herring comes in an abundance of varieties, e.g. salted, hot-smoked and cold-smoked. There are many different types of marinated herring spread, preserved as pickled herring, herring with tomato sauce and sour cream herring.
Fresh herring is well-suited for breading and frying; it becomes crisp and golden and goes well with many garnishes.

Nutritional content
Herring is an excellent source of vitamins A,D and B12 and is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. The amount of omega-3 depends on the fat content, which can vary considerably.

Nutritional content table.

Commercial product:
Whole fish, slices, fillets, cured, smoked.

Frozen and Fresh Herring
Whole fish:
• Round
• Landfrozen in air blast tunnel
• Packed in 10 or 20 kg cartons with inner plastic
• Size: 150-200 gr/200-300 gr/+250 gr/+300 gr/+400 gr
• Quality: varies according to season and catching method

Fillets, single or flaps "butterfly":
• Skinless or skin-on
• Processed by "Baader" or similar fillet machines
• Landfrozen in air blast tunnel
• Packed in 10 or 20 kg cartons with inner plastic
• Size (pieces per kg): 4-6/5-8/8-12/10-14/12-16
• Quality: varies according to season and catching method

Sprat
Latin - Sprattus sprattus
Norsk - Brisling
Deutsch - Sprotte
Français - Spratto / Esprot / Amelette
Nederlands - Sprot
Italiano - Spratto
Español - Espadín
Português - Espadilha

Sprats resemble herrings, but are much smaller. Sprats are a pelagic fish that swim in enormous shoals, but are seldom found deeper than 150 m.

In Norwegian waters, the fjord sprats spawn each year in the Oslo fjord and in the eastern parts of the Skagerrak coast. Occasionally, sprats also spawn in the
South coast and on the West coast.Most of the commercial fishing for fjord sprats takes place in the fjords of southern Norway.

Catches are left in impoundment nets or pens for at least three days to allow the intestines to empty before the fish are sent to processing plants.
In addition, commercial fishing for sea sprats takes place in the North Sea.

Season: January, June to December.

Size: 14-15 cm, up to 15 grammes.

Fishing methods: Purse seine.

Use
Sprats are mostly sold frozen or in processed form. Sprats are an important raw material for the fish-processing industry, where, among other things it is processed into “anchovies”.
In Norway, tinned sprat spreads are marketed as sardines or anchovies. Fresh sprats may be fried and grilled. Sprats are also an important fish for meal and oil production.

Nutritional content
Sprats are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D and also has a high content of vitamin B12.

Nutritional content table.

Commercial product:
Whole fish, sardines or anchovies, fish meal and oil.

Mackerel
Latin - Scomber scombrus
Norsk - Makrel
Deutsch - Makrele / Makrell
Français - Maquereau
Nederlands - Makreel
Italiano - Sgombro / Maccarello
Español - Caballa Verdel
Português - Sarda Cavala



Mackerel is a pelagic fish that can swim at great speeds, and in summer and autumn it moves in huge shoals along the coast of Norway and into Skagerrak, the North Sea
and the southern reaches of the Norwegian Sea.

In Europe, the mackerel family is divided into three main stocks: one to the west of the British Isles, one in the North Sea, Skagerrakand the Norwegian Sea,
the third are in the Gulf of Biscay.

Each year, Norwegian fishermen land between 140,000 and 160,000 tonnes of mackerel in Norway. Most of these fish are Atlantic mackerel that migrate into the North Sea and Skagerrak in the autumn.

Towards the end of the year, the fully matured mackerel migrate out of the North Sea toward their spawning grounds to the west and southwest of Ireland,
where they start spawning in March.
The fishery takes place primarily during the summer half of the year. The vessels used vary from boats that use nets and trolling lines along the coast, to large ocean-going seiners.

Season:
April to November.

Size :
Up to 66 cm, seldom longer than 40 cm.

Fishing methods
The mackerel is mainly caught by purse seines, pelagic trawlers, nets, trolling lines and handlines.

Use
Mackerel is sold as fresh and frozen fillets and as whole fish. There are many processed mackerel products, including hot-smoked, coldsmoked and pepper-smoked
mackerel. In addition, there are many varieties of tinned mackerel and mackerel spreads in tomato sauce. Fresh mackerel can be fried, poached and grilled
and is well-suited to brine-curing.
Fried mackerel in a sour cream sauce is a popular delicacy in Norway.

Nutritional content
In the spring, mackerel have a low fat content,about 3%, whereas autumn mackerel may contain up to 30%, and hence large concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids.
It is also a good source of vitamins D and B12. Vitamin B12 plays an important role in maintaining nerve fibres.

Nutritional content table.

Commercial product:
Mackerel is sold fresh, frozen, filleted, salted, smoked and canned.

Frozen and Fresh Mackerel

Whole fish:
• Round
• Landfrozen in air blast tunnel
• Packed in 10 or 20 kg cartons with inner plastic
• Size: 200-400 gr/300-500 gr/400-600 gr/+600 gr
• Quality: varies according to season and catching method