Saga - 2018, Page 122

Í sjöunda lagi er mögulegt að vinnuaflsskortur hafi valdið því að
gamla norðlenska sumarvertíðarkerfið einfaldlega hrundi. Hvort
sem umskiptin urðu skyndilega í kjölfar plágunnar miklu í upphafi
fimmtándu aldar, og þá kannski innsigluð eftir pláguna síðari
undir aldarlokin, eða fyrir lengri tíma þróun, þá kom að því að ekki
voru nógu margar hendur lengur til að draga fisk úr sjó á sama
tíma og heyskapur stóð yfir. Þá mátti auka nýtingu vinnuaflsins
með því að færa sjósókn sem mest yfir á veturinn, jafnvel þó það
kostaði verferðir milli héraða og jafnvel landshluta. Þannig séð hef-
ur breyt ingin frá norðlenska sumarvertíðarkerfinu yfir í vetrar-
vertíðarmynstrið snúist um vinnuafl og stjórnun þess ekki síður en
fiskneyslu og fiskverslun. Vermenn urðu mest bændur og vinnu-
menn þeirra sem veiddu fisk fyrir sín eigin heimili en búleysingjar
unnu á sumrum sem kaupafólk hjá bændum.
Abstract
helgi skúli kjartansson og orri vésteinsson
CHANGING GEOGRAPHICAL PATTERNS OF FISHERIES IN MEDIEVAL
ICELAND
In Early Modern Iceland, most marine fishing took place off the west and south
coasts. The principal fishing season lasted from February to May and was
manned to a great extent by farmers and farmhands who had often travelled long
distances, sometimes right across the island, to take part. The geographical spread
of the fishing stations is explained by the cod being most abundant in this region
at this time of year, but the season comes down to two factors: carrion flies first
appear in May, making winter and early spring the ideal time to air-dry the catch,
and in winter labour could most easily be spared for fishing without conflicting
with the farming schedule.
This pattern is well attested from the 16th century onwards, but the evidence is
less clear for the medieval period. Several scholars have postulated that the
pattern goes back to the beginnings of settlement, while others have pointed out
the absence of clear signs of south coast winter fisheries. This paper reviews the
medieval evidence for the location and season of marine fishing in Iceland.
Evidence from the Book of Settlements, the Sagas of Icelanders and the Contem -
porary Sagas is collated and compared to evidence from the laws, annals and
charters, as well as the fast-growing body of archaeological data. The sources
clearly suggest that in the Middle Ages significant fishing took place along the
north-western and northern seaboard — from Snæfellsnes in the west to Langa -
helgi skúli kjartanss. og orri vésteinsson120
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