Tag: Fishing

Fishing is inextricably linked to the national soul of Icelanders. Without fishing, this island in the middle of the North Atlantic would not have been inhabited. The fish in the sea have fed Icelanders for centuries, along with traditional sheep farming.

In centuries past, owning land by the sea and thus having permission to fish was considered a great blessing. To fish now, people or companies must have a quota, which is bought and sold for large sums of money. In the past decade, salmon farming has been gaining traction. It is not fishing in the traditional sense of the word, but it is fish in the sea that generates significant foreign exchange earnings for Icelanders.

Iceland is also known for its unique salmon fishing rivers, and just like quotas in the sea, fishing licenses in good salmon fishing rivers are very expensive. Many beautiful and well-known salmon fishing rivers can be found in the West, North, and South. There are fewer salmon fishing rivers in the Westfjords and Eastfjords, and salmon farming is permitted in these areas.