First foreign fisheries off Iceland

During the period 1400-1800 the fishing grounds off Iceland were frequently visited by foreign fishermen who interacted with the Icelanders in many different ways. In the Middle Ages they competed for fish with the Hanseatics and brought a stimulus to the trade in fish and during the monopoly trade period in the 17^th and 18^th centuries they frequently traded illegally with the Icelanders and often brought commodities that were either not available from Denmark or of a much better quality than what the monopoly merchants had to offer. In the last-mentioned case, it was especially fishing lines and hooks and tobacco which they bartered for Icelandic meat and knitted goods. This trade was important for the Icelanders, especially those living in remote coastal areas, far from the principal trading posts. But the foreign fishermen also provided a vital cultural link to the British Isles and continental Europe, which sometimes helped the Icelanders to keep abreast of important developments in European culture.

Fishermen from the northeast of England were the first foreigners to commence fishing off Iceland’s coasts. The first English vessels arrived off the south coast of Iceland in 1409 and during most of the 15^th century large fleets sailed for Iceland from the British Isles every year. At times the English were so influential that the 15^th century has sometimes been termed as “The English Century” in Icelandic history. In Iceland they competed with the Hanseatics for fish and occasionally the competition led to armed conflicts. The Hanseatics enjoyed the support of the Danish king and by 1500 they had gained the upper hand. However, English fisheries off Iceland persisted, albeit on a diminished scale, well into the 18^th century. During the 18^th and 19^th centuries English fishermen made fewer trips to Iceland than earlier, but their fisheries in the region never ceased altogether.

The English fishermen sailed for Iceland in decked sailing vessels, and, in the fishing history of the North Atlantic, their voyages to Iceland must be considered as a watershed: they marked the beginning of distant-water fisheries. During the 17^th century Dutch fishermen were frequently seen off the coasts of Iceland, later to be joined by Frenchmen from Bretagne. The Dutch persisted into the 19^th century, although on a much smaller scale after 1800, but the French sent big fleets of sailing ships to Iceland right until the First World War.

Jón Þ. Þór - University of Akureyri