page_title: Fishing industry in Greenland
section_title: Production
hierarchical_section_title: Fishing industry in Greenland / Production
caption_attribution_description: English: A longline fisher in Aappilattoq unloads his catch of Halibut.
context_page_description: The fishing industry in Greenland is very important to the national economy of Greenland and local food supply. It is the source of many people's livelihoods all across the country, employing some 6,500 out of a national population of 56,452 people.
  Fishing exports from Greenland in the past 20 years are accounted at about 90% of the country's total exports with international firms finding it a profitable business. Exports are mostly to USA, Japan, Norway, Thailand, Germany, Great Britain, Iceland and Denmark. The contribution of fishing industries to the economy of Greenland as a whole is estimated to be more than 50%; contribution to gross national income of the country is reported to be as high as 20%.
  The fish that dominate the Greenlandic fishing industry are mainly shrimp, cod, halibut and salmon. They are caught and processed in Greenland and then are sold, often exported in frozen cans. The center of the fishing industry lies in the south of the country, the main hub is in Disko Bay in the southwest.
context_section_description: Fishing operation during the 1990s was pursued by 150 vessels (both international and chartered) which resulted in an average production of 188,500 tonnes in the period between 1988 and 1995. The Royal Greenland of the Government of Greenland manages most of the fishing industry. Royal Greenland alone has more than 10 processing factories on the island. It also has 15 smaller plants, apart from plants in Denmark and Germany. Its six fishing trawlers catch mostly shrimp and prawns.
  According to statistical reports published in 2010, fish processing is the main industry of Greenland; mainly of shrimp and halibut with exports of fish and fish products accounting for 88%, with prawns contributing a major share of 54%. 93% of exports is to EU (mostly Denmark), 4% to other European countries and the balance to North America.
  Greenland has legislated laws related to fisheries imposing quota limits on fishing of prawns and halibut. Laws are enforced on the basis of biological advice to ensure sustenance of its natural resources. The limits imposed, on a year-to-year basis, on fisheries in Greenlandic waters by Greenlandic vessels are: Total shell fish comprising Islandic scallop, Northern prawn and Snow crab was 138,000 tonnes in 2008; total fish comprising species of Atlantic cod, Atlantic halibut, capelin, catfishes, chars, Greenland cod, Greenland halibut, Greenland shark, lumpsucker, redfish in 2008 was 76,100 tonnes; seal hunting was pegged at 159,661 number of seals, namely harbour seal, bearded seal, harp seal over 4 years old, harp seal under 4 years, hooded seal, ringed seal and walrus. Whaling was limited in 2007 at 3821 individuals of beluga whale, fin whale, killer whale, minke whale, narwhal, pilot whale and porpoise whale.
  The exports statistics of various types of fishes in 2009 in tons are: prawns 64,256; cod 8,998; Greenland halibut 20,831, scallops 121; crab 1,380; lumpsucker spawn 776; other fish 7,780; other fish products 760; and seal, whale and shark 15.
caption: Long-line fisher in Aappilattoq, Qaasuitsup unloading his catch of halibut.
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