カペリン資源減少で壊滅的打撃を受ける市場 ― 鯨による捕食問題も指摘
Markets in Ruins after Capelin Shortages – Concerns Raised about Whale Predation

アイスランドのHafrannsóknastofnun（海洋研究所）が2025/2026漁期に向けておよそ4.4万トンのカペリン初期漁獲枠を推奨しました。しかし、Vestmannaeyjarの大手加工会社VinnslustöðinのSigurgeir Brynjar Kristgeirsson氏（通称Binni）は、この状況を深刻に受け止めています。

Binni氏によれば、これは3年連続でごく僅かな漁獲枠しか認められない事態であり、カペリン市場は崩壊寸前にあるとのことです。過去数年のカペリン不漁の影響で、多くの加工業者は事業を縮小あるいは撤退し、市場からカペリンが姿を消しつつあります。その結果、消費の場からもカペリンが遠ざかり、産業基盤そのものが揺らいでいます。

さらにBinni氏は、鯨によるカペリン捕食の問題にも言及しました。アイスランド周辺で実施された鯨調査の結果が未公表であることに疑問を呈しつつ、かつてHafrannsóknastofnunの前所長で鯨類専門家でもあるJóhann Sigurjónsson氏が2010年前後に指摘したように、鯨によるカペリン捕食量は年間約150万トン規模に達していると述べています。しかもその後、アイスランド周辺の鯨は大幅に増加していると考えられ、資源への影響はさらに深刻になっている可能性があります。

Binni氏はまた、漁業企業が抱える固定費の重さに加え、政府が漁業税を引き上げていることを強く批判しています。わずかなカペリン枠しかない中での税負担増は、業界を一層追い詰め、数年以内に漁業そのものが崩壊する危険性があると警告しました。

市場の疲弊、捕食圧力、そして政策的な重圧が重なり、カペリン産業は存続の岐路に立たされています。

記事の詳細はこちらからご覧ください（アイスランド語）：
Markaðir í rúst eftir loðnubresti undanfarinna ára（fiskifrettir）

The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (Hafrannsóknastofnun) in Iceland has recommended an initial capelin quota of around 44,000 tonnes for the 2025/2026 fishing season. However, Sigurgeir Brynjar Kristgeirsson (known as Binni), CEO of Vinnslustöðin in Vestmannaeyjar, sees this situation as deeply troubling.

According to Binni, this marks the third consecutive year with little to no quota, leaving the capelin market on the brink of collapse. Due to the recent years of poor catches, many processing companies have either downsized operations or shut down entirely. As a result, capelin has been disappearing from shops and, consequently, from consumer demand, undermining the very foundation of the industry.

Binni also highlighted the issue of whale predation on capelin. He questioned why the results of whale counts around Iceland conducted two to two and a half years ago have not been published. Referring to remarks made by whale expert and former Hafrannsóknastofnun director Jóhann Sigurjónsson in the early 2010s, Binni noted that whales were estimated to consume around 1.5 million tonnes of capelin annually. Since then, whale populations around Iceland have grown significantly, making the pressure on the capelin stock potentially even greater.

In addition, Binni criticized the government’s decision to raise fishing fees, pointing out that companies already face heavy fixed costs from maintaining vessels and pelagic fishing gear. With such a small quota and rising levies, he warned, the fishing industry could face total collapse within a few years, bringing devastating consequences for coastal communities and the national economy.

The combination of weakened markets, predation pressure, and political burdens has placed the capelin industry at a critical crossroads.

Read the full article here (Icelandic):
Markaðir í rúst eftir loðnubresti undanfarinna ára (fiskifrettir)

Illustration created by ChatGPT 5