3.4 



GREENLAND 



Greenland has a small, but modem fishing fleet. Large, steel vessels are needed to operate safely in icy Arctic 

 waters where fishing conditions are often harsh. Greenland's fisheries are overcapitalized and the Government is 

 encouraging Greenland fishermen to sell their vessels and get out of fishing; this is especially true for Greenland's 

 shrimp fishery. Thus, some Greenlandic vessels may be sold in the next few years. Because these vessels are built 

 for cold-water operation, it is likely that they will be sold only to firms operating in extreme northern or southern 

 climates. 



CONTENTS 



1. General Background 205 



2. Fleet Background 207 



3 . Modernization Programs 207 



4. Decommissioning Programs 207 



5. Shipyards 208 



6. International Agreements 208 



7. Fleet Dispersal Plans 209 



Sources 209 



Endnotes 212 



1. General Background 



Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat or "Land of Man") 

 is the world's largest island. Almost 84 percent of 

 the country is covered with a thick mantle of polar 

 ice. Small, isolated coastal villages are scattered 

 along the nation's ijords and rocky shoreline. 

 Fishing and hunting are important sources of food 

 and income for many Eskimo (Inuit) inhabitants. 

 Greenland is fortunate to have access to large 

 quantities of deepwater shrimp, an important source 

 of revenue to this country. Fishing for wild salmon is 

 limited to native fishermen and is a source of 



traditional food. Fishermen do, however, deliver 

 wild salmon to the Greenland Government-owned 

 Royal Greenland, the nation's largest seafood 

 processing firm, which exports its products 

 throughout the world. 



Greenland is the largest island in the world, 

 stretching 2,670 kilometers (km) from north to south 

 and 1,050 km from east to west. Geographically the 

 island is part of the North American continent, but 

 the island's inhabitants look to Denmark for 



205 



