The Faroe Islands are a fishing nation, and this is of course obvious from the trade and industry that takes place on the islands. In previous years, demersal fish has constituted the majority of the country's export value, but in the last few years the pelagic fishing industry has become the backbone of the Faroese fishing industry. The salmon farming industry is also doing very well.
The construction of a large pelagic fish-processing plant in Tvøroyri in Suðuroy is a clear indicator of the increased importance of pelagic fishing in the Faroese fishing industry. The companies behind the plant are Varðin, a company from Gøta which owns several purse seiners, and Delta Seafood which runs fish production on land. Together, the two companies have formed a subsidiary company which runs the new fish-processing plant.
'This is one of the largest pelagic fish-processing plants in the world', said Arni Carlsen, project manager, when he told the people of Tvøroyri about the plant, according to the newspaper Sosialurin. He added that the technical equipment that they are using is the most advanced equipment available on the global market.
The owners of the plant have announced that in the first phase, the aim is to get a steady primary production of pelagic fish and to develop the processing of fish by-products alongside this.
The companies plan to finish the construction of the new plant on 1 July, when the mackerel fishing season is set to begin.
