Norfish Dutch Icelandic Cod Fishery 1520–1852

The first quantitative evidence of Dutch cod fishing off the Icelandic coast is reported in 1655; Captain Jelle Alberts, from Vlieland in Friesland (Frisia) a province of the Netherlands, returned from Icelandic waters after 11 weeks of fishing with a cargo of salted cod. The condition of sale of these sated cod was that each specimen had to measure at least 22 inches to the tail (56cm) or else it would only count as half a cod (two would be counted as one).