When fishing means resilience: the evolution of small boat fishing practices in Iceland since 1990 and the new development of longline fishing

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Author: Mariat-Roy, Emilie
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2014
• Subjects: Iceland; Polar Record
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247414000321; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247414000321

ABSTRACT This article analyses the historical conditions and technical, social, commercial and political factors that have contributed to the revival of longline fishing in Iceland. Longline fishing practices have had important consequences at both the local and the national levels. This article deals, firstly, with the juridical and historical conditions of the development of small boat fishing practices since the beginning of the 1990s and the process through which small boats became progressively larger. Secondly, the paper describes the evolution of longline fishing practices and focuses more specifically on the technical, commercial, social and professional aspects of a new version of longline fishing that was developed in response to new marine management rules. It then deals with a specific kind of competitiveness that those living in coastal villages established to re-boost the local economy and discusses what has happened to small boat owners since 2000. The conclusion highlights the way longline fishing, by reconnecting social ties, takes part in the construction of contemporary Icelandic culture.