The Iceland waters show four porpoises, viz.:
1. Delphinus phocœna, the common porpoise, smallest of the Cetaceæ.
2. Delphinus bidens or bidentatus, Baleine à bec, the bottle-head or bottle-nosed whale; the “ca’ing whale” of the Scoto-Scandinavian islands.
3. Delphinus orca, the grampus.
4. Albicans or white Beluga.
The following are approximate returns for fish and their products exported from Iceland in—
| 1806 | 1849 | 1870 | |
| Fish, | 650,000 lbs. (Danish) | ... | ... |
| Dried fish, | 750,000 lbs. | 938,080 lbs. | 527,040 lbs. |
| Salt cod, | 150 barrels | 5,248,000 lbs. | 7,507,840 lbs. |
| Cod oil, | 807 ” | 3,259 barrels | 9,424 barrels |
| Shark oil, | 1,663 ” | 3,259 barrels | 9,424 barrels |
| Seal oil, | 24 ” | 3,259 barrels | 9,424 barrels |
| Fish liver, | 12 ” | ... | ... |
| Salted salmon, | 28 ” | 5,810 lbs. | 245,392 lbs. |
| Salted shark skins, | 1,568 ” | ... | ... |
The subjoined table shows what has been the export of cod and oil during the last six years.
| 1864. | 1865. | 1866. 1867. | 1868. | 1869. | |
| Salt-fish, lbs. | 6,296,224 | 2,917,024 | 3,855,104 8,026,656 | 3,916,000 | 5,243,744 |
| Dried do. | 139,040 | 13,728 | 79,904 335,280 | 266,464 | 442,816 |
| Salt-roe, brls. | 2,390 | 452 | 770 1,962 | 578 | 977 |
| Liver oil, | 6,572 | 9,520 | 8,952 13,083 | 8,757 | 7,744 |
The noteworthy point is the falling off of the salt-fish: perhaps the reason may be the expense of imported salt. During the last century the State established a saltern at Ísafjörð, but it was soon closed for want of patronage—Mr Consul Crowe remarks, “The very high temperature of the numerous hot springs which are quite accessible, would give an ever ready heat applicable for evaporation, and, I believe, a fresh attempt to utilise them would repay itself.” But salting is ever difficult.