Iceland review - 2013, Qupperneq 31

ICELAND REVIEW 29
began fishing off Hornafjörður and the town
has seen an almost steady increase in popula-
tion since then. “The community is thriving,
everyone who wants to work can find a job,”
maintains fisherman Vigfús Vigfússon. While
the municipality Hornafjörður experienced
a 31 percent decline in its population from
1994 to 2011, the population decline in
Höfn was only 5 percent in the same period.
Vigfús was raised on a farm in the vicinity
of Höfn but has worked as a fisherman since
his teens. “I’m not about to change profes-
sions now,” he smiles when asked whether he
likes what he does. His son recently joined
his crew of four. At sea, workdays can be long
and hard, and whether fishermen can work
at all depends on the weather and what’s left
of the fishing quota. Also, according to Vigfús,
the faults of the fisheries control system and
unequal competition with larger companies
make life difficult for small boat owners.
The catch—mostly cod but also saithe and
mackerel—is picked up by trucks daily and
exported by air. Vigfús operates two boats
and usually sets out from Stöðvarfjörður, a
small village 200 kilometers (120 miles) to
the east, closer to the fishing grounds.
tHe SouL of HöfN
Apart from the shrieking of Arctic terns,
the harbor area is quiet with colorful boats
docked at the pier. “It’s not as lively as it
used to be,” says gunnar Ásgeirsson, chair-
man of Skinney-Þinganes. “So much has
changed; the fish is brought straight from
the boats to the factory.” However, locals are
actively breathing new life into the harbor.
“This summer there will be a market there;
local farmers will sell their products and
designers their handicraft,” points out Davíð
Kjartansson, managing director of Vatnajökull
Region (Ríki Vatnajökuls), a cluster of com-
panies promoting the region’s attractions.
And on the last weekend of June, visitors will
crowd the town to attend the annual Lobster
Festival, with the main festival area being
down at the docks, “The community’s soul,”
as Davíð describes it. 
Hoffellslón is a recently formed glacial lagoon by the vatnajökull outlet glacier Hoffellsjökull near
Höfn, less frequented but equally as striking as the larger and better known Jökulsárlón.
vigfús vigfússon, fisherman and small boat owner.
CULTURE