Siglufjördur & Aukureyri, Northern Iceland
Siglufjördur, on the north coast of Iceland, is the nation's northernmost community and the center of Iceland's once-thriving herring industry. At its peak, the herring industry accounted for one-quarter of Iceland's export income. Over 5,000 Icelanders lived here. The men caught the "silver darlings" in long drifting gill nets as vast shoals of the fish came from the open ocean to spawn in shallow coastal waters. Young women gathered from the countryside to spend the spring and summer living in the packinghouses. All day long they stood at the cleaning tables; a few deft swipes of the sharp knife and the fish joined hundreds of its kind packed in salt in the wooden barrel. When a barrel was full it was whisked away, a coin went into the boot, and a new barrel took its place. Over and over, fish by fish, the women toiled for long hours, breaking the monotony of their labor with gossipy chatter and occasional breaks for song and dance. All of this was re-enacted for us this morning at the Herring Museum of Siglufjördur, followed by a tasting of the delicious herring washed down with Icelandic brennivin.
Then, in 1969, the shoals of herring simply failed to appear. It was the same the next year, and the next as well. The seemingly inexhaustible resource was exhausted and, just like that, the way of life of the people also disappeared. It was a social and economic tragedy that mankind seems destined to repeat, like the herring themselves, over and over one fishery at a time.
Over lunch the National Geographic Explorer moved a short distance to Aukureyri. This is Iceland's second largest city and the Capital of the North. Some enjoyed a stroll through the city, perhaps seeking photo opportunities or visiting the shops, while others walked to the Botanical Garden to admire the collection of plants from all around the world but emphasizing the northern regions. Following dinner our experience with the local culture continued when three local musicians entertained us in the ship's lounge with Icelandic folk music.
