The Riches of the Sea

The fishing grounds around Iceland are some of the richest in the world. The continental shelf, on which warm and cold ocean currents meet, is very wide (that is, about 758,000 square kilometres in size). The blend creates an ideal environment for the success of the food cycle necessary for the growth of fish stocks.

There are a large number of hatching and food gathering areas on the Icelandic continental shelf (which are used by those fish which can be processed). No fewer than 293 fish species have been observed in the Icelandic fishing grounds. Whilst ten species make up the bulk of the catch, some forty species of fish are caught.

These ocean riches form part of the delicate balance of the ocean ecosystem, and Icelanders are aware that not only natural catastrophes and changes in the climate can seriously effect it. Poor management of these resources will also have an impact.