Fisheries off Iceland, 1600-1900

This paper describes the importance of fish to the people of Iceland, where for centuries dried cod has taken the place of bread. The main methods of fishing and fish processing are mentioned, including available export figures. The English started fishing off Iceland at the beginning of the fifteenth century, but few published statistics are available about their landings. The Dutch, and especially the French, fisheries off Iceland are better documented. The Dutch statistics cover the years 1751-1786 and 1802-1852, while French statistics, in addition to tonnes landed, include number of vessels and fishermen in the years 1763-1792 and 1814-1900. The combined average Icelandic, Dutch, and French annual landings (ungutted fish) are estimated at 34 0001 in 1766-1772 and 56 000 t in the 1860s compared with an annual average of around 390000 t in the 1960s. In the "Icelandic Annals", which contain accounts of main annual events, the yearly output of the winter fishery on spawning cod is characterized by the average lot (share) of the fishermen, sometimes expressed as the actual number of fish caught, but mainly reported using expressions like lots very high, lots very small, medium and such like. In the absence of actual statistics the average yearly lots have been evaluated and expressed on a scale ranging from one to six. The smoothed annual lots are believed to indicate the fluctuations in landings from 1600 to 1882. The yearly number of months with drift ice off Iceland in the years mentioned above has been estimated from various Icelandic sources. There is a correlation between these and the average yearly temperature. The yearly catch indices show distinct - if irregular - fluctuations, probably caused by variations in year-class strength. The smoothed curve shows fluctuations of 50-60 years, coinciding with the estimated variations in tempera­ture, and thus indicating its effect on long-term recruitment.

Article from Marine Science Symposia Vol. 198 - "Cod and climate change". Symposium held in Reykjavik, 23-27 August 1993. To access the remaining articles please click on the keyword "MSS Vol. 198".