Iceland's small-boat fishermen face challenges

April 5, 2016

Photo by Jacob Kasper. Catherine Chambers poses on the water with a cod.

Icelandic small-boat fishermen are dissatisfied with current fisheries governance and concerned about limited opportunities for entry for younger fishermen, according to research by University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists.

Catherine Chambers, a doctoral student at the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, is working with fisheries professor Courtney Carothers to study how fisheries management can influence those who make their livelihoods in small-scale fisheries.

Chambers worked on fishing boats to gain insight into common practices of Icelandic small-boat fishermen and then surveyed the fishermen to dig deeper into their perceptions of industry management. She was particularly curious to learn if current fisheries management systems were reflecting the needs of the fishermen. Her project is part of the National Science Foundation-funded Marine Ecosystem Sustainability in the Arctic and Subarctic program at UAF. She received additional funding from the Fulbright Student Program and the Leifur Eiríksson Foundation.

Iceland was one of the first countries to switch to a quota system in the 1980s. The individual transferable quota, or ITQ, system turned the right to fish into a commodity that could be bought and sold.

Photo by Jill Carlile. Friðgeir Höskuldsson teaches Catherine Chambers how to process a lumpfish.

One initial rationale behind adopting the ITQ system was to increase industrywide efficiency. But because the priorities of small-boat fishermen include the social and cultural values of fishing in addition to making profits, an efficiency-based quota system does not always reflect their needs.

Chambers observed day-to-day operations onboard fishing boats in Kodiak, Alaska, and around Northwest Iceland, as well as in fish processing plants.

“By building these relationships with the fishermen and community leaders, you begin to be able to think the way they do,” Chambers said. “You have this real experiential knowledge that you wouldn’t have been able to get if you weren’t out on a boat, super seasick, wanting to go home and freezing while you gut a fish.”

After making onboard observations, Chambers surveyed small-boat fishermen throughout coastal Iceland about their family history, fishing experiences and attitudes toward fisheries management.

Chambers found that fishermen value sustainability in the industry over maximizing revenue in the short term. “On average small-boat fishermen have over three generations of family — not including themselves — engaged with fisheries,” Chambers said. “Fishing is a way of life, not just a profession.”

She found that many survey participants believe the ITQ system focuses too much on increasing revenue and does not address resource protection.

Photo by Catherine Chambers.. Small boats rest in Norðurfjörður harbor in Iceland.

The respondents also felt the system lacked a good mechanism for local fishermen to contribute to the decision-making process. The fishermen wanted to be more involved in fisheries governance and management.

Finally, the average age of workers in Iceland’s fishing industry is increasing, meaning fewer young people are involved in the industry now than in the past. This is caused by a number of variables, including increasing costs to enter the industry. Survey participants were concerned and eager to find solutions to this issue.

This study provides a detailed perspective on how small-boat fishermen view fisheries management in Iceland. As Chambers continues to study Icelandic fishing communities, she will continue to discover how fisheries management systems reflect — or don’t reflect — the needs of fishermen countrywide.

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Catherine Chambers, cpchambers@alaska.edu; Courtney Carothers, clcarothers@alaska.edu, 907-347-9677

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