Náttúrufræðingurinn - 1958, Page 56

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NÁTTÚRUFRÆÐIN GURINN
SUMMARY
Large salmon in Iceland
by Þór Guðjónsson.
Institute of Freshwater Fisheries, Reykjavik.
On 8th April 1957 a salmon (Salmo salar) was caught in a gillnet off the
island Grimsey, which is situated ab. 40 km north of Iceland. It weighed 24.5
kg and was 132 cm long with a girth of 72 cm. Its blood had been drained off
before it was weighed, so the actual weight was a little more than stated above.
This salmon must be accepted as being the record fish for Iceland. The scales
of the salmon show that it spent 4 winters in fresh water and 6 winters in the
sea including two spawning journeys. Spawning checks are found in the seventh
and ninth winter zones of the scales. Whether the salmon under discussion
is a native to a river in Iceland can not be stated definitely. However, the
river Laxá in Thingeyjarsýsla, the estuary of which is only about 65 km away
from Grímsey, has a stock of larger salmon than any other river in Iceland.
Salmon of 18.0 kg (ab. 40 lbs) or more are very seldom caught. in Iceland.
The present author knows only of nine such salmon. The largest of these and
the largest salmon told of in Iceland is one, which was caught during the
last century in the river Hvítá in Borgarfjördur District. It is said to have
weighed between 30 and 35 kg. Its weight was not recorded at its capture or
soon there after. Two salmon of 18 kg each have been caught in the same
river. One was netted at Ferjukot just before 1920 and the other was caught on
rod near Svarthöfdi in the year of 1930.
In the river Ölfusá-Hvítá in Southern Iceland three salmon have been
caught. In the river Ölfusá at Selfoss a salmon 19.5 kg was caught in a gillnet
about 40 years ago. A salmon of 19.3 kg, length 115 cm, girth 70 cm, was
caught on rod in the river Hvítá at Ida in June 1946. On 7th September 1952 a
salmon of 18.8 kg, 122 cm length and 65 cm girtli, was caught on rod at the
junction of the rivers Hvítá and Brúará.
In the river Laxá in Tliingeyjarsýsla three salmon have been caught. These
weighed respectively 24.5 kg, 18.1 kg and 18.1 kg. Tliey were caught in 1895,
1912 and 1942. On Christmas day of 1929 a dead salmon was fourid on the
bank of the same river at Núpar. This was 132—133 cm long and weighed 18
kg as far as is known. If this weight is right, the salmon lias possibly weighed
20—23 kg, when it entered the river.