CONGRATULATIONS, ICELAND – TIL HAMINGJU MEÐ DAGINN, ÍSLAND!!!

Special edition of our blog to remind you that today is Iceland's National Day. You know that Iceland is a great fishing nation, even though their fisheries don't go back as long as ours in Spain. Fishing still makes up much of the annual income, and we want to send them our best and wish them a happy day, sunny and 25ºC if possible.

Icelandic fisheries started to take off early in the 20th century, with the arrival of the first boats with engines and trawlers. Until then, most fishing around Iceland was conducted by foreign fleets (England, Netherlands, France, Scotland). In a second fleet upgrading wave, between 1945 and 1970, the trawlers were revamped and new ones ordered from Sweden. The first modern stern trawlers, as we know them today, arrived in the 70's. The technological advances have been many and large ever since. The first factory trawlers were bought in the 80s and renovated between 1991-1997. Iceland has nowadays a modern fleet counting about 1300 ships. A large proportion are under 10 GRT and take 1.5% of annual catch, the largest trawlers land 24% of the total annual catch. This fleet caught 2 million tones in 2000, although total annual catch is now aobut 1.3 million tons. For figure lovers we will throw in yet one more: 1654 million euros was the value of fish exports in 2012, mostly cod products.

Besides upgrading their fleet, Icelanders have done very well also marketing their management system, which is far from perfect but seems to have the EU drooling -unless your mention mackerel. Personally I like the fact that ships cannot renovate their fishing licenses unless they hand in at the Fisheries Directorate and the Marine Research Instituto every year and on time an accurate and perfectly completed logbook, with credible catches. I also like the Directorate's web site, where you can see who landed what and where, with updated information on quota left for the different species. This is something we could learn from them.

In any case, with or without logboos, Iceland is an incredible country well worth going there and spend all your euros. Be extremely careful with its nature, though, it is very fragile.

Iceland, congratulations on the 70th anniversary of your independence!! And what the heck, let's congratulate also people having their birthday in this beautiful day. We are wrapped in fog, but I just heard there is a high over Iceland and at least they will have a sunny day.