What is pelagic fish?
Pelagic fish are open-water schooling species that live in the upper and middle water column rather than near the seabed — herring, mackerel, blue whiting, capelin and sprat. In Norway they are caught mainly by purse seine and pelagic trawl, landed in very large volumes, and handled by a single nationwide sales organisation, in contrast to bottom-dwelling whitefish like cod and haddock.
The word pelagic refers to where the fish live: in the open sea, away from the bottom, typically in dense migrating schools. This biology shapes the fishery. Pelagic species are caught with gear built for schools — purse seine that encircles a whole shoal, and pelagic (mid-water) trawl — and a single set can bring up enormous quantities, which is why pelagic landings dominate Norway's total catch by weight.
The main Norwegian pelagic species are herring (both Norwegian spring-spawning herring and North Sea herring), mackerel, blue whiting, capelin and sprat. Their fisheries are highly seasonal and migratory: blue whiting peaks in spring, mackerel in autumn, and herring runs in distinct seasonal pulses. Much of the catch is pumped straight into refrigerated seawater tanks and landed for human consumption, fishmeal or oil.
Pelagic fish contrast with whitefish, or groundfish — bottom-associated species such as cod, haddock and saithe. The distinction is operational, not just biological: in Norway all first-hand sales of pelagic species go through one nationwide sales organisation, while whitefish and shellfish are handled by regional organisations. When reading landings data, the pelagic-versus-whitefish split explains differences in gear, vessel type, seasonality and which sales organisation registered the sale.
Frequently asked questions
- Which species are pelagic?
- In Norway the main pelagic species are herring (spring-spawning and North Sea), mackerel, blue whiting, capelin and sprat — open-water schooling fish, as opposed to bottom-dwelling whitefish like cod and haddock.
- How is pelagic fish caught?
- Mainly by purse seine, which encircles an entire school, and by pelagic (mid-water) trawl. A single set can land very large volumes, so pelagic species dominate Norway's total catch by weight.
- What is the difference between pelagic fish and whitefish?
- Pelagic fish live in open water in schools; whitefish (groundfish) live near the seabed. They differ in gear, season and vessel type, and in Norway pelagic sales run through one nationwide organisation while whitefish use regional ones.
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