News & announcements

The international symposium Atlantic Plastics 2026 on marine plastic pollution was held at Harpa in Reykjavík on 20–22 October, under the theme Arctic to the Antarctic.

Two new studies by scientists at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute provide new insight into the diet and feeding activity of capelin.

Hybridization among cetaceans has been documented across multiple species, but the question on the ecological position of hybrids has not been answered yet. Within the Balaenopteridae family, most documented cases involve blue and fin whales, raising concerns about impacts on species recovery, particularly that of the highly endangered blue whale.

Updated catch advice from the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI) and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR) for the upcoming capelin fishing season is just over 105 thousand tonnes. The advice is based on the results of acoustic surveys on the capelin stock conducted last September, which proved to be significantly below expectations.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is today, September 30, issuing advice on fishing opportunities for Norwegian spring-spawning herring, Atlantic mackerel, and blue whiting for the year 2027.

In accordance with the MSY approach, the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute advises that the shrimp catch in Arnarfjörður in the 2026/2027 fishing year should not exceed 248 tonnes, and that shrimp fishing should not be permitted in Ísafjarðardjúp.

A recent study by scientists at MFRI examined the recovery of knotted wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) following harvesting in Breiðafjörður Bay, western Iceland. Knotted wrack has been harvested in the area for around 50 years, primarily using mechanical cutting barges.

A new synthesis in the journal Fish and Fisheries brings together thirty obstacles that stand in the way of measuring and improving the sustainability of bottom fisheries, together with the same number of recommendations for addressing them. Haraldur A. Einarsson, fishing gear specialist at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, is one of 29 authors.

As the E(ddies)GC survey aboard RV Þórunn Þórðardóttir draws to a close, the international team of researchers is completing several weeks of intensive fieldwork off East Greenland.

The 2026 capelin autumn survey will be conducted from 23 August to 24 September. The survey aims to estimate the abundance of both immature and mature capelin in the Iceland-East Greenland-Jan Mayen area (IEGJM). A similar survey has been conducted since 1978.