Other vessels

A few other boat types are of relevance to the fisheries. Four old whalers are stationed in Reykjavík, all of them kept in working order, although most have not been used for decades. They have the honour of being the only steam engine boats left in the Icelandic fleet. The Marine Research Institute has two large research vessels for oceanographical and fisheries research and two small boats for similar purposes in inshore waters. One research boat is privately owned. The Coast Guard has two armed vessels, mainly used for fisheries monitoring, and a small one for hydrographic surveying. A few boats have been converted to use for service in the growing aquaculture industry. A few of the old oak boats that used to be so common in Iceland have also regained a purpose as whale watching and sea angling boats. Only one Viking ship, built in 1996 (not 996) is still patrolling Icelandic waters.

Hreiðar Þór Valtýsson / Hörður Sævaldsson, University of Akureyri