Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2015, Page 65

Harp Seals in the Icelandic Archaeofauna: Sea Ice and Hard Times
2000+) and Skagafjörður (1830, 1000)
(Guðmundsson 1944, 151-152; Kristjáns-
son 1980, 329). Only three 19th century
culls refer specifically to harp seal pups
being clubbed (Vestfirðir 1817/1818,
Hornstrandir and Hrútafjörður 1820 and
Skagafjörður 1830). Notably, the harp seal
pup cull of 1820 does not make any refer-
ence to drift ice (Guðmundsson 1944, 151-
52; Kristjánsson 1980, 329).
Intriguingly, the earliest reference to
harp seals in Iceland is not associated with
uppidráp. It comes from 1605 with a legal
judgement pertaining to the right to hunt
harp seals with nets in Norður Þingeyjar-
sýsla (Espólín 1821-1855, 92-93). Ólafur
Olavius, travelling in northern Iceland
from 1775 until 1777 also observed that
farmers in Þingeyjarsýsla were using nets
to capture harp seals, with further accounts
suggesting that between 2160 to 2300 harp
seals were captured in this region in this
manner at that time (Kristjánsson 1980,
360-363). There were up to 50 nets laid in
Þingeyjarsýsla overall and it seems that the
region specialised in this hunting method
(Kristjánsson 1980, 360-63); a method that
persisted there into the early 20th century
(Guðmundsson 1944, 164-67). There are a
number of other features of this 350 year
old tradition that are worthy of note. Dur-
ing the 17th century, the six nets at Hraun-
höfn (said to be the best place in the region
to catch harp seals with nets) were auc-
tioned every three years with the attached
rights exclusive to the highest bidder while
in 1800 the priest at Húsavík leased his harp
sealing rights (Kristjánsson 1980, 364). The
economic rather than subsistence value of
harp seal derivatives is perhaps emphasised
by the fact that in 1750 an entire harp seal
could be sold in Iceland for 2 ríkisdalir,
by 1775 this price applied only to the skin
(Kristjánsson 1980, 364).
Nets were used elsewhere in north-
ern Iceland but not to the extent apparent
in Þingeyjarsýsla. For example, in 1833,
large catches of harp seals are accounted
for in Flateyjardalur (1500), Siglunes and
Siglufjörður (500) and Skagafjörður (300)
(Guðmundsson 1944, 158). From 1840,
nets were used in Steingrímsfjörður and
ísafjarðardjúp. Killer whales (Orcinus orca)
were responsible for driving harp seals into
these fjords; a habit that enterprising locals
took advantage of by laying their nets in the
path of the fleeing harp seals (Kristjánsson
1980, 362). Netting of harp seals began in
Breiðafjörður in the winter of 1857 with the
best results reported from Kerlingaríjörður,
Skálmarljörður and Kollafjörður. A further
mid-19th century account states that a boat
from Reykjanes laid nets in Kollafjörður
and captured 212 harp seals over four win-
ters (Kristjánsson 1980, 362-64).
According to 19th century accounts,
harp seals appear to have frequented
northern, eastern and western Icelandic
waters predominantly between November
and May (although there is some regional
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