[3] THE ICELAND HERRING-FISHERIES. 495 



waves. His death was a very serious loss to the company, for he was 

 an exceptionally able and energetic man, whose place it will be difficult 

 to fill. Of the cargo only a small portion was saved. 



The magnificent results obtained last year by the " Iceland Fishing 

 Company " had a magic influence on all the ship-owners on the west 

 coast of Norway. Every vessel which could be spared was in the be- 

 ginning of last summer fitted out and sent to Iceland to engage in the 

 herring-fisheries. From Mandal alone 30 vessels, with a total burden of 

 about 2,000 tons, are said to have sailed for Iceland. In June last an 

 il Iceland Fishing Company " was organized in Aalesund, with a capital 

 of 20,000 crowns ($8,040). 



To obtain the right to fish in Iceland waters, a foreigner must be nat- 

 uralized, which is done in a very simple way, by taking out an Iceland 

 citizen's paper (cost about 4 crowns, $1.75), swearing an oath of allegi- 

 ance to the King of Denmark, and settling down on the island. This 

 settling down, however, generally only consists in putting up in some 

 favorable location on the shores of the fiord the frame house which has 

 been brought ready-made from Norway. Although, according to a cir- 

 cular of the governor of Iceland, addressed to all officials in the island, 

 these regulations are to be strictly observed, it is a fact that many Nor- 

 wegian fishermen who have taken out Icelandic citizen's papers, never 

 think of settling permanently in Iceland. 



Last summer the herring-fisheries carried on by Norwegians were 

 chiefly confined to the east coast of the island, although a few vessels 

 also fished in the Oe fiord and the Ise fiord. Both during this and last 

 year the Eske fiord was the principal place for herring-fishing during sum- 

 mer, whilst the richest autumn fisheries have taken place in the Sejdis 

 fiord. During last summer 28,000 tons of herring were caught in the 

 Eske fiord (6,000 of these by a Bergen company — J. E. Lehmkul), whilst 

 during the same period scarcely 1,000 tons were caught in the Sejdis 

 fiord. In this last mentioned fiord, however, upwards of 40,000 tons 

 were caught during the third week in October, whilst the quantity of 

 hrrings left in the nets was estimated at 20,000 tons. As according to 

 the last reports from Iceland fishing was still going on, we are not pre- 

 pared to give any absolutely reliable information as to the total yield, 

 but in all probability the Norwegian fishermen will this year bring home 

 from Iceland about 100,000 tons of herrings. If such harvests should 

 prove the rule,* ship-owners fitting out vessels for Iceland will do well 

 to remember this. 



We shall doubtless soon be in possession of all the data regarding the 

 Iceland herring-fisheries. 



* During last summer the herring-fisheries on the coast of Norway have been very 

 poor, whilst all reports from Iceland speak of the Iceland herring-fisheries as being 

 remarkably successful. See u Die Norwegische Kordsee- Expedition, 1877 " (the Norwe- 

 gian North Sea Expedition), p. 181, volume for 1878 of this journal. 



