30- 



r^l THE FISHERIES OF ICELAND. 



and dried ILsb 5 nud it is tliis which priiK^pally attracts the foreio-n 

 .shern.cn. From March 1st till some time in May, and during- winter 

 the hu-e codfish come near the shore, wliile during the rest of the year 

 they go out to sea, so that the vessels have to go from 4 to 12 Dauisli 

 nides [18 to 06 English miles, about] from the coast in order to lind 

 them. As a general rule, the Iceland fishermen are not prepared to 

 catcli large codfish except in the iieighborliood of the coast. Their 

 condition IS about the same as that of tlie fishermen on the west coast 

 of Jutland; and, like these, they must return to their homes the same 

 day. Neither ot these two classes of fishermen can be blamed for this 

 way ot carrying on the fisheries, as natural conditions compel them to 

 iollow this method. None of these fishermen have a suitable harbor- 

 but they are obliged to pull their boats on shore, and often the breakers' 

 prevent them from going out to sea. It should also be hehl in mind 

 that the winter fisheries of tlie Icelanders are carried on during a season 

 when there are only a few hours' daylight everv dav. The fishermen 

 imist go out to sea early, so they can get to work when the short dav 

 breaks', and many a time they are out at sea fishing bv the weak light 

 ot the aurora borealis. The same causes which compel our A\'est Jut- 

 land fishermen to nse open boats are also met with in Iceland • but 

 there is this difference, that the Icelanders could find many .daces 

 where their vessels could lie sheltered if they possessed sucii vessels 

 Ihe Iceland fishermen are generally too poor to get anything biit open 

 boats; and, for this reason, many a good day's fishing on tlie open sea 

 IS lost to them, and the number of their fishing davs is greatly dimin- 

 ished thereby. Much time is also lost in rowing out to the flshino- 

 ])lace, and by the poor fishermen getting wet and hungry. The lot of 

 the Iceland coast fishermen is a hard one. They take out little or no 

 provisions, and it often happens that they have to go without food for 

 more than 11' hours. Now the Icelander can go without food for a ion- 

 time, but he can also do full justice to a meal when he gets it. 



I will not now describe the migrations of the fish in the" waters around 

 Iceland, nor will I speak of the coming of the fish at the diflerent sea- 

 sons ot the year, the methods of fishing, the boats employed, &c. • but 1 

 must state that the development and, in iVict, the future of the Iceland 

 cod-fisheries depends principally on the possibility of increasino- the 

 number of larger and decked vessels. When such a vessel is weircom- 

 n.anded and has a good crew it can earn about four times as much as 

 an open boat. The best illustration of this condition of atfairs is fur- 

 nished by the circumstance that while the French fishermen everv vear 

 catch about 23,000,000 pounds of fish near Iceland, the Icelanders u'.em- 

 •sclves catcli only about 22,000,000 pounds; and the 100 vessels sent out 

 eN cry year by the city of Dunkirk, France, bring home about as manv 

 fi^h as Iceland exports. Each French vessel catches about $G,432 wort ii 

 ot tush per annum. 



As regards the pay of the flshemen on the Iceland vessels, we poa- 



