The Fishing age

The first centuries of the Fishing Age were a period when the Icelandic fisheries flourished due to a number of factors. Climatic change led to a decline in agriculture, which increased the importance of the fisheries in the nation’s subsistence. At about that time, fish products – stockfish and fish-liver oil – became Iceland’s most important and sought-after exports. This remained the case until saltfish superseded stockfish in the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries.

The development of the fisheries had a significant effect on social development and patterns of habitation. The population of fishing regions grew and around some of the largest fishing stations year-round communities began to develop. In some cases, the people who resided in these areas lived almost entirely by fishing.

At this time the ecclesiastical authorities of church and monasteries sought to increase their influence and ownership in good fishing properties. New churches were in fishing districts, where the population was growing fast, and by the sea a social form developed which may be termed a fishing-station community, or fishing-landowner community. It differed in various ways from the traditional rural social structure, but was just as important factor in the old agrarian society.

During most of the Age of rowing boats, the Icelandic fisheries were operated on a similar basis to those of the neighbouring countries, especially the Faroe Islands and northern Norway. In all these countries fishing was similar in nature and based upon the same main species and conducted on inshore grounds. The Icelanders were their neighbours’ equals in fishing methods and technology and they were probably equally efficient and productive. Little is, indeed, known with any certainty about the size of the catches in former centuries, except that they have most probably varied much from one year to another. No catch statistics have survived for the rowing boats until the end of the 19^th century, and those statistics that are available from the 19^th century are not easy to use or compare with more recent statistics as they give the number of fishes caught, not the tonnage of the catch. The most rational attempts to estimate the annual catch during the 17^th century do, however, indicate that this varied greatly, from some ten thousand tons in the slackest years, to some forty thousand in the best years. Nothing is known about earlier periods and all attempts at guessing are futile.

Declining period

The mid-16^th century saw the beginning of a period of difficulties in the Icelandic fisheries. The period about 1550 to the mid-18^th century must be considered as a time of decline. This was due to various factors. Demand for stockfish declined in northern Europe after the Reformation and this led to lower prices. Moreover, climatic conditions were far from benign in the 17^th and 18^th centuries and changes in the trade system were not favourable to the fisheries. By royal ordinance, a monopoly was imposed upon all trade with Iceland in 1602, and this arrangement continued until 1787. Under the monopoly system, all trade with Iceland was confined to designated Danish merchants appointed by the king. Monopoly trading meant difficulties for the Icelandic fisheries as the Danish merchants took only the fish they thought they needed and could sell at foreign markets and did little to encourage increased fisheries. Moreover, the price the merchants paid for the fish in Iceland was often fixed for longer periods by the king and did not reflect real market prices in Europe.

Over the centuries, most Icelandic fishing boats were built in Iceland, of driftwood or imported timber, as trees did not grow to sufficient size in Iceland. The design varied from one region to another, according to local conditions and the same applied to size. The vessels were invariably rowing boats: sail did not become common until the 19^th century, and at some fishing stations there were no sailing vessels. The handline was the commonest form of fishing gear, while in the West Fjords longlines were frequently used. Icelandic fishermen did not begin to use cod nets until the latter half of the 18^th century. This was consistent with developments around the North Atlantic. Little is known about the number of boats and fishermen prior to 1770, but this must have varied somewhat from one year to another. In 1770 there were 1,869 rowing boats of all sizes in Iceland and the number of crew members was 9.027 During the 19^th century the number of boats increased (especially after 1830), and so did the number of fishermen. In the year 1889 the number of fishing boats in operation was 2,970 with a total of 12,246 crew members.

Jón Þ. Þór - University of Akureyri