Small-Scale Fisheries in Iceland: Local Voices and Global Complexities

Small-scale fisheries make up a small percentage of the total catch in the fisheries sector in Iceland, yet occupy an important part of the cultural and political landscape. The past 30 years in particular have been host to dramatic political, technical, social, and economic changes for Icelandic small-scale fishermen, their families, and their home communities. In this chapter, we first focus on the history of small-scale fisheries in Iceland and define characteristics distinguishing these fisheries from large-scale operations that often target the same fish stocks. Next, we describe historical and current fisheries governance arrangements with particular focus on the disproportionate impact that the privatised national fisheries management system has had on small-scale fisheries. Using the Arctic island of Grímsey as a case study, we show how fishing culture itself, through the logic of the Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) system, has become inextricably and irreversibly entwined with national and even global financial institutions and processes. We also highlight the various small-scale fisheries and detail limitations in the capacity of small-scale fishermen to achieve collective action. We discuss options for mitigating negative impacts of the ITQ privatised system, such as the open access summer jig season that began in 2009. We then place small-scale fisheries in the larger context of regional and national policy trends and show how the 2008 economic crisis and national policies aimed at economic growth affect local fishermen. Finally, we forecast how both national and international policies may affect future generations of Icelandic small-scale fishermen.