The White Falcon - 22.04.1983, Síða 2

2 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT Keflavik, Iceland
Icelandic people
have Nordic,
A trio of fishing vessels that have helped maintain Iceland's fishing industry.
Fishing industry:
More than a way of life
Celtic heritage
Icelanders first settled their country over 1,100
years ago—without displacing an indigenous
group. Contrary to popular belief there are no
eskimo in Iceland and never have been (unless
one counts those who have come to study or
visit).
The Norse settlers came mainly from Norway,
bringing with them Celts from Scotland and Ire-
land as slaves. As the nation developed, Danish
and Norwegian traders, chieftains, and farmers
moved in. Icelanders, themselves never shy of
traveling, moved abroad and often returned with
their foreign-born families.
Ethnically then, Iceland appears to be mainly
Nordic and Celtic. It may be noticed there are
almost no traces of Celtic influence on the lan-
guage and culture, but the people of Iceland and
Ireland have a similar blood group distribution
while the Norwegians are not part of that pattern.
The Icelandic legal system has much in com-
mon with Norway and Denmark, not surprising
as those countries governed Iceland for many
centuries. Other foreign influences on Iceland
tend to come from recent times, especially since
World War II. On the main they have been the
result of increased trade, hence contact; but
with cultural changes being surprisingly small.
Although not indifferent to foreign influence,
Icelanders tend to welcome new ideas, products
and fashions—if they will improve the standard
and quality of life. There is, however, great res-
istance to change just for the sake of change.
Unlike their neighbors in Europe, for instance,
new words are not permitted to be imported. (TV
is known as TV almost everywhere in Europe—
in Iceland it is sjonvarp, which means to throw
sight). By keeping their language pure they have
maintained a great literary heritage—one which
has shaped others instead of being shaped from
the outside.
Modern Iceland can thank far-sighted leaders
in the 1960s for a lot of the advances being made
today. They showed that cooperation with other
countries and the introduction of large-scale
industries can work.
Although other industries had been attempted
earlier, it was the construction of an aluminum
smelter at Straumsvik, on the road between
Keflavik and Reykjavik, which started a new
industrial revolution in Iceland. Thesmelterwas
the result of negotiations between the Govern-
ment of Iceland and Swiss Aluminum Ltd. (Alu-
suisse). The contract they signed in 1966 lead to
the founding of ISAL (Icelandic Aluminum). It
called for capital outlays by both the Swiss firm
and Iceland, not only at Straumsvik but also at
Burfell—a hydro-electric power plant which was
to supply the energy required.
Although international recessions led to a
lesser demand for aluminum the project opened
the door to further expansion utilizing Iceland’s
energy potential. A ferro-silica plant has been
built near Whale Bay and other ventures for the
processing of rockwool, wood pulp, sugar beet,
kelp, and salt are being considered.
Already on line—in fact forerunners of the
aluminum plant—are a fertilizer manufacturing
plant and a diatomite reduction plant. These
demonstrate the commercial value of both hydro
and geothermal power in Iceland. For instance,
about 11,000 kwh of electrical energy is needed
to produce one ton of the ammonia needed to
process into ammonium nitrate—and the use of
natural steam is self-evident in the drying pro-
cess of diatomite dredged from Lake Myvatn.
Not all industries need a lot of energy, how-
ever. Among these, in Iceland, are the wool and
hides industry. Knitted and woolen goods made
Fishing in Iceland has shaped the country’s
development. Until late last century the nation
subsisted on farming, with fish as a bonus. It
came in handy to vary the diet and to barter with
when foreign traders visited.
The rich fishing grounds of the past attracted
foreign ships in ever increasing numbers. And as
new methods were introduced by the French and
British crews they were picked up by the Ice-
landers.
The traditional methods of preserving fish by
salting or drying were to change with new tech-
nology. It was quickly learned that fresh fish,
transported in ice to other countries, brought in
greater cash rewards. The result was the birth
of the trawler industry in Iceland.
Plants to produce the needed ice added impe-
here are currently in great demand. The wool is
tough and insulates well and does not need to be
dyed. How much the woolen industry is depen-
dent on fashion only time can tell. But at present,
it contributes greatly to the national economy.
Hides, both tanned as leather or cured as sheep
and pony skins, have been relatively stable as a
market commodity. However, as synthetics often
make inroads into such markets, the future
remains unclear.
Other Icelandic industries are not as impor-
tant to the export market. They include ‘cottage’
industries of such things as the manufacture of
furniture. It might be thought that because
(See NEW INDUSTRIES, page 3)
tus to the expansion and enterpreneurs were
soon to notice the quick-freezing methods being
employed in America.
By the late 1940s Iceland was caught up in the
boom. Rapidly growing markets for quick-frozen
fish from the clean waters around the country
meant more and more trawlers fishing the area.
But many of those boats were foreign and this
over-exploitation brought a new danger—that of
over fishing.
The Icelanders found an answer. As they lived
here, and as they depend on fish for their survival
more than any other nation in the world, they felt
they had the right to fish alone. So they imposed
first a 12-mile fishing limit, then a 50-mile limit
and finally a 200-mile zone for exclusive eco-
nomic rights.
Other nations protested against the action, the
United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of
Germany. As they had been fishing the grounds
for a long time (it was claimed as much as 300
years) they felt they had a continued right do do
so. This led to a series of Cod Wars.
In 1976 a settlement was reached which gave
Iceland what it had been fighting for. But by then
it was a little too late. Vital fish stocks had been
decimated and strict conservation measures had
to be introduced.
The fish stocks show some signs of recovery,
but it is a slow uphill battle. Iceland’s economic
ills can be traced, at least in part, to the poor
results shown by the fishing fleet. While the fish
management techniques are being mastered, the
industry is seen to be more than a way of life—it
is the one factor which will control the nation’s
future until industrial diversification can reduce
the burden.
plant in 1966 signaled the begin-
The opening of the ISAL (Icelandic Aluminum)
ning of a new industrial revolution.
Many new industries emerge