News

Currently, we are in Iceland’s northernmost town, Siglufjördur. From 1903-1968 it was the herring capital of the world, the Klondike of the Atlantic, until the combination of over-fishing and climatic change brought about complete collapse. We are spending time with the visionary director of the Herring Era Museum. It has been raining in town, and when the fog lifts the surrounding mountains are dusted with snow.

The fishing industry here has jumped from one adventure to another; starting with shark, then herring, capelin, and shrimp, all have collapsed. The fishermen of Siglufjördur now catch mostly cod and haddock from relatively small boats. We have been watching them unload and process their catch. Because of the bad weather, it was a slow day, so they took us for a spin in the new search and rescue boat.

We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the people we have met here in Iceland. They have shared their personal lives with us, answered our many questions and put up with our cameras and tape recorders. We feel blessed to be traveling while at work on a project that connects us with such great new friends.

Tomorrow, we leave for Greenland!