The North Atlantic Fisheries, 1100-1976 - University of Hull

salt cod. Other sources, however, say that as far back as 1780 some forms
of long line had been used in Tórshavn. 65 Presumably the Faroese also
learned about this type of fishing tackle through their frequent contacts
with the Shetlanders who fished in the waters around the Faroes in the
middle of the nineteenth century. The Faroese also signed on with the
Shetland smacks. 66 There have been connections between the Faroes and
the Shetlands back to the earliest settlement in the Islands. 67
In the traditional Faroese fishery the bait was not regarded as too
important, with a strip of the belly skin cut off the first fish to be caught.
However, as the fishery became more intensive more and better bait was
required. This was particularly the case in the long line fishery, where
there was a constant demand for bait for several hundred hooks. Herring
and whelks were widely used. Herring, which had been insignificant
before, was caught in nets for bait. 68 It is said that the Faroese learned to
fish for whelks from the Shetlanders. 69 Whelk and herring fishery
became an important subsidiary employment for many, including young
boys.
Fishing was important in all the villages in the Faroes, but so long as
there were only rowing boats most of the fish were landed in the villages
which were closest to the fishing grounds. In the first years of
commercial fishing with rowing boats, the most important fishing
villages were the most northerly in the Faroes. Oddly enough several of
these villages had rocky foreshores with breakers, but as the light and
manoeuvrable rowing boats were quickly and easily pulled ashore this
was not a great hindrance. Villages such as Eiði, Oyndarfjørður, Gjógv
and Viðareiði were for a long time the most important fishing villages in
the Faroes. The village of Eiði grew considerably during these years and
was one of the most populous in the Faroes. The basis for this population
growth was the rowing boat fishery. 70
65 Svabo 1959: 99.
66 Joensen 1985:42.
67 Hans Jacob Debes (1993) has treated the relations between the Faroe Islands and
Britain; he also discusses the English and Scottish fishery in the Faroes.
68 Joensen 1982, 291.
69 Joensen 1975:20.
70 Joensen 1982:283, Joensen 1985:44.
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