01 - News

Everything from the east

Reporting from the villages of East Iceland and on everything that concerns the region. Updated daily.

231 stories
Industry 28 Oct Fáskrúðsfjörður Viðskiptablaðið

Roaming Icelandic summer-spawning herring brings efficiency gains

Up to sixty percent of the herring arriving at Loðnuvinnslan in Fáskrúðsfjörður is now Icelandic summer-spawning herring. Plant manager Magnús Ásgrímsson says processing is going well in the new building.

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Industry 28 Oct Neskaupstaður mbl.is

Five thousand tonnes of herring still to be caught

Síldarvinnslan’s fish processing plant in Neskaupstaður has received 23,000 tonnes of herring so far this season. Síldarvinnslan’s website states that five thousand tonnes remain to be caught.

Community 28 Oct Eskifjörður mbl.is

Cooking course at Eskifjörður school in 1953

Four boys and all the girls attended a cooking course at Eskifjarðarskóli in the autumn of 1953. Þorsteinn Skúlason won a prize for his recipe book, and the trophy still adorns his dining table.

Industry 28 Oct Neskaupstaður Austurfrétt

Guðröður and Árni Magnús honoured for contribution to tourism in East Iceland

Guðröður Hákonarson, often known as Gurri, of Hildibrand in Neskaupstaður, received the East Iceland tourism encouragement award, Klettur, at the association’s autumn meeting last week. It is a recognition for having been a powerful driving force in the development of tourism in Neskaupstaður.

Industry 28 Oct Austurland Auðlindin

Blængur lands catch worth ISK 507 million

Blængur NK came in with 620 tonnes after a 26-day fishing trip. The catch was worth ISK 507 million, even though autumn storms disrupted the fishing.

Transport 28 Oct Austurland Austurfrétt

SSA demands government drop changes to Loftbrú

The board of the Association of Municipalities in East Iceland (SSA) demands that the government drop the planned changes to the discount terms of Loftbrú and instead ensure sufficient funding to strengthen support for the scheme.

Transport 28 Oct Austurland Austurfrétt

Loftbrúin drifts away from the Scottish model

Loftbrúin (the Air Bridge) was established in 2020 to improve access for rural residents to centralised services and to strengthen rural communities.

Industry 28 Oct Borgarfjörður eystri Austurfrétt

Little sign of hot water in Borgarfjörður eystri

The first exploratory drilling for hot water in Borgarfjörður eystri in about 50 years was carried out by HEF-veitur a short while ago, but, as had been expected beforehand, the preliminary results give little cause for optimism.

Community 27 Oct Austurland RÚV

Increased risk of landslides and rockfall due to rain

The Icelandic Meteorological Office has issued a yellow warning for increased risk of landslides and rockfall in Austfirðir, East Iceland as far as Glettingur, and on Tröllaskagi. The warning is in effect until noon tomorrow.

Transport 27 Oct Austurland mbl.is

Want a higher discount instead of a fixed amount

The Association of Municipalities in East Iceland (SSA) strongly objects to the planned changes to Loftbrú and demands that the government drop its plans to replace the current percentage-based subsidy of airfares with a fixed amount in krónur.

Industry 27 Oct Neskaupstaður mbl.is

Half a billion in catch value in 26 days

The freezer trawler Blængur NK arrived in Neskaupstaður yesterday after a 26-day fishing trip. The vessel’s catch was 620 tonnes gutted. On the company’s website, the value of the catch is stated as ISK 507 million.

Industry 27 Oct Neskaupstaður Austurfrétt

Catch worth ISK 507 million despite “proper autumn gales”

The freezer trawler Blængur NK arrived in Neskaupstaður yesterday after a 26-day fishing trip, most of it in rough weather. The vessel nevertheless landed 620 tonnes, with a catch value estimated at about ISK 507 million.

Transport 27 Oct Austurland mbl.is

Landslide blocks road at Njarðvíkurskriður

The risk of landslides and rockfalls has increased because of heavy rainfall in the Eastfjords, and the Icelandic Road Administration has reported a landslide that fell onto the road at Njarðvíkurskriður.

Transport 27 Oct Austurland Austurfrétt

A bridge over rural decline or an Icelandair milking machine?

It was announced on the Government Offices website on 23 October that from 1 January 2027 the Loftbrú discount will be a fixed amount, ISK 7,000 per flight leg, instead of 40% of the fare. As a result, the average subsidy per flight leg falls by just under a quarter, and the state’s total subsidies for the scheme fall from about ISK 740 million to about ISK 560 million.

Transport 27 Oct Austurland mbl.is

Say living conditions are under attack

The Fjarðabyggð municipal council strongly protests the planned changes to Loftbrú (the Air Bridge) and calls on the government to drop the plans. The council says cutting airfare subsidies is an unacceptable attack on living conditions in rural areas.

Community 27 Oct Austurland Bændablaðið

Became construction managers overnight

On 6 February 2024 a storm swept across the Eastfjords, and the farmers at Vattarnes were hit especially hard. In one small spot the wind intensified and caused major damage to a residential house and sheep sheds. The roof of the outbuildings was blown off in one piece and then shattered in another …

Community 27 Oct Austurland mbl.is

Strong wind warning for the Eastfjords this evening

Winds will pick up around 7 pm this evening from the northwest in the Eastfjords, and gusts could reach up to 35 m/s in wind streams near mountains, for example in Hamarfjörður.

Industry 27 Oct Austurland Bændablaðið

Lying in wait like ruffians at Hamarsá

Stefán Skafti Steinólfsson. Dear readers. The assault on Hamarsdalur in the old Djúpavogshreppur, now Múlaþing, continues. The decision by the minister of energy and the environment and the Althing to move the proposed power plant plans in Hamarsdalur from the protection category into …

Transport 27 Oct Austurland Austurfrétt

Fjarðabyggð to stop operating its own EV charging stations

The electric vehicle charging stations that the municipality of Fjarðabyggð installed some time ago and has operated since will be decommissioned, following a decision by the planning and construction committee. The stations’ equipment has become obsolete and they have mostly stopped working and generating revenue.

Industry 26 Oct Austurland mbl.is

Kaldvík gets deadline extended

Lenders of the fish farming company Kaldvík have further extended the company’s temporary waiver from certain loan terms, although the deadline was due to expire today.

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