In 2010, local paper Skarpur reported on a research project that collected first-hand memories of the herring years in Raufarhöfn, once Iceland’s largest herring export harbor. Conducted by Tinna Stefánsdóttir for the Húsavík Academic Center, the project recorded interviews with locals who lived through the boom.
Tinna noted that in 1961, Raufarhöfn was the largest herring export port in Iceland, with eleven salting stations operating at the peak. The permanent population hovered around 500, but in the summer months it swelled to 2,000 as the herring girls, known in Icelandic as “síldarstúlkur”, and fishermen arrived to work.
Those years transformed the village, bringing both prosperity and unforgettable memories. Today, many residents still recall working in the salting stations or at sea, but as time passes, preserving their stories has become increasingly urgent. The project aimed to record and safeguard this vital part of local and national history before it fades away.
Looking back 15 years later, project leader Tinna Stefánsdóttir recalls: “It was an incredibly fun experience, and it surprised me in such a positive way. I learned so much. Today the project feels even more meaningful, because at least two of the people I interviewed have since passed away. It is wonderful to still have their stories from the herring years preserved.”
The interviews, with residents including Gunnur I. Sigþórsdóttir, Helgi Ólafsson, Stefán Örvar Hjaltason, Eiríkur Guðmundsson, and Hólmfríður Friðgeirsdóttir, capture the human side of the herring adventure that once defined Raufarhöfn.
The hope, according to the project team, was that the collected material might later appear online, on interpretive signs, or in larger-scale projects to ensure the legacy of the herring years continues to inspire future generations.
