July 1951 



COMMERCIjyL FiarSRIES REVIEW 



39 



zers, according to the Ilay 30 issue of Fiskaren , a Norvregian fishery periodical. 

 Each plant vfill be able to freeze 10 metric tons daily and have a storage capacity 

 of, 150 and 250 metric tons, respectiTely. 



Iceland 



SUMMER WHALING SEASON BEGINS ; The Icelandic whaling season opened June 1, I95I, 

 and 74 whales have already been taken, the American Consulate at Reykjavik states in 

 its June 25 report. Iceland's single whale-processing plant has been working at ca- 

 pacity, and whaling operations may have to be slowed down to permit the plant to keep 

 up with the catch. 



Iceland's whaling operations are carried on exclusively by one firm, which plans 

 to add a tugboat to its present whaling fleet of four catchers. This tug would be 

 Bent out to bring in whales taken by thfe whaling vessels for processing the meat for 

 local consumption. VJhale meat is now in popular demand in meat-short Iceland. Vftiile 

 a strong demand also exists in foreign markets for frozen whale meat, local freezing 

 plants are now engaged at capacity or near capacity in freezing fish, and facilities 

 are not available for processing whale meat. Whale meat may perhaps be frozen for 

 export later in the season, 



***** 



'iVHALING . I95O : The Icelandic whaling season opened on June 1 and closed on Sep- 

 tember 28, a May 2 American consular dispatch from Reykjavik reports. A total of 265 

 whales were caught, 59 fewer than 

 in 1949. Despite the smaller num- 

 ber of whales, production of whale 

 and sperm oil equaled the 1949 

 level of 2,000 metric tons. The 

 higher rate of oil production re- 

 sulted from the fact that virtually 

 all of the whale meat was reduced, 

 whereas 6OO tons had been quick- 

 frozen for sale as Bieat in I949. 

 Marketing conditions the last half 

 of 1950 made it desirable to pro- 

 duce oil rather than quick-frozen 

 meat. 



All of the 1950 production of 

 whale oils was sold to west Germany 

 reportedly for the manufacture of 

 margarine, at favorable prices. 



FISHING FLEET . 1930 : The only 

 notable addition to Iceland' s fish- 

 ing fleet in I95O was one newtrawl- 

 er, which arrived in the closing 

 days of the year. This is the first 

 of 10 new trawlers, ordered in 1948, which are being built in British shipyards 



FIN WHALE BEING HOISTED UP RAMP LEADING TO WHALE 



PROCESSING PLANT AT HVALFJORDUR, ICELAND, 



There were no significant changes in Iceland's fleet of small fishing craft, 

 which number about 475, ranging in size from 10 to 200 metric tons. 



