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ICELAND'S fishing industry will throw off the country's economic woes this weekend to honour the men who bring home the catch week in and week out.
Sunday is Fishermen's Day in Iceland when the industry is celebrated and fish festivals are held at various ports around the country.
Most people tuck into fish or one sort or another and in some places it is handed out cooked and free of charge. Fishermen and sailors take part in various festivities including rowing competitions and various other strong-arm games.
The capital Reykjavik will put on the most spectacular display, with a fresh fish market, sea fishing tours, whale watching and sea shanty style song and dance (along with much eating and drinking). Dozens of messages in a bottle will be launched out to sea in the hope they will make their way around the world.
Iceland's fishing industry is currently back in fashion now that the country has rejected the "fast buck" mentality of banking and finance which crashed so spectacularly 18 months ago. Some of the men who spearheaded the financial boom are now facing the grim prospect of criminal prosecution and, if found guilty, jail sentences.
Fishing could help to put Iceland back on a sound financial footing over the next few years, but the industry is not without its problems. A week krona is affecting exports and industry leaders are fighting off government interference. Worst of all, there are serious fears among trawler owners about the prospect of Iceland joining the European Union.
If Icelanders want to know what the EU can do for a nation's fishing industry, they should visit what is left of the fish docks of Hull and Grimsby in the UK! But for a few hours on Sunday all the current cares will be forgotten for a few hours as the country celebrates Fishermen's Day.
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