Cod, Construction, and Communities: Relations between Fish and Architectural History in Ísafjörður, Iceland

Situated in the Westfjords of Iceland, Ísafjörður is an important place in the history of cod fisheries. This paper discusses the methodological approach of a weeklong workshop conducted to reveal the intricate connections between urban development and the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) populations. The following topics were addressed: 1) the urban development of Ísafjörður, 2) cod’s life cycle, and 3) Icelandic fisheries. Several methods were experimented with, ranging from: a) the processing of archival photography, b) the consolidation of historical mapping, c) the identification of cod movement patterns, d) oceanographic data assessment and mapping, e) vessel technology and capacity, and f) national fisheries data. From various approaches, visual representation emerged as a unifying tool to translate the oceanic and built environment’s natural processes, dynamics, and transformations. While providing an overview of the workshop experiments and achievements, this paper discusses methodological strategies that can be used in future research.