Whales are a controversial topic by any standard. These gargantuan silver blobs (lets be honest, they are a bit blobby) glide through the water, wailing away. When I was a kid I always revered them with a mix of fear and disdain.  more

SHARP, a new exhibition of artist Andrea Maack, opens today.  more

Watch Iceland Review Online's special video feature, an interview with managing director of Iceland Music Export (IMX) Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir discussing how music is leading Iceland out of the crisis.  more

Located just 40 minutes by car and six minutes from Keflavík International Airport, Sandgerdi (“Sandy Hedge”) is a growing town of 1,700 with a storied history and loads to see. Read this special promotion about the hidden secrets of one of Iceland's most charming seaside villages.  more

Salmon fishing in Iceland in the summer season of 2008 exceeded all records with 88,000 fish being caught on rods in the numerous magnificent, crystal clear rivers.

Published in the 2008 winter issue of Iceland Review – IR 46.04. By Bjarni Brynjólfsson, photos by Klaus Frimor and Sigurjón Ragnar.

The Atlantic salmon is a remarkable specimen of a fish sought after by anglers from all over the world. It is so remarkable that the Sagas often mention lax, Icelandic for salmon, and quite a few rivers where salmon can be found bear the name Laxá.

Salmon has therefore been considered a precious resource since Iceland was first settled.

This amazingly strong fish comes in abundance every summer to run the rivers and conquer the numerous waterfalls in order to breed.

Any particular salmon river has its own special stock. Salmon lay their eggs in a nest on the river bottom and when the parr hatch they spend two or three years in the river. Then they are finally ready to head downstream and out of the river to the vast and rich feeding grounds of the Atlantic where they multiply in size. After having spent between one and three years in the ocean they return to their home river as a fully-grown, silvery salmon—to breed and maintain the stock.

The salmon season in Iceland is short, beginning in early June and lasting to the end of September. But the numerous salmon streams are considered the best in the world—a haven for anglers who can often see the fish they are trying to catch in the incredibly clear water.

All the rivers are privately owned and protected by farmers and landowners which means that this gem of a resource is both well maintained and strictly administered in order to sustain the stocks. Many rivers now have catch quotas and some have rules of “catch and release” only.

Thousands of anglers come to Iceland every summer to enjoy the stunning Icelandic countryside for the sole purpose of catching the king of all fish. To catch a newly run Atlantic salmon is the dream of every passionate fly fisherman. It is simply a unique experience.

You can read this article in the 2008 winter issue of Iceland Review – IR 46.04. Four times a year the print edition of Iceland Review brings you a wealth of articles on all aspects of life in Iceland including Páll Stefánsson's latest images of the country's majestic landscape. Click here to subscribe and here to browse through a selection of pages from the current issue.

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Strip a nation of its financial stability, its currency and its good name, and you’ll find a sad nation indeed. But deprive a Nordic country of its IKEA, and you’ll see what desperation means. While the de facto palace of Icelandic consumerism hasn’t shut its doors, the nation was dealt a crippling blow to the wallet when it discovered that IKEA had raised its prices by 25 percent.  more

Salmon fishing in Iceland in the summer season of 2008 exceeded all records with 88,000 fish being caught on rods in the numerous magnificent, crystal clear rivers. The Atlantic salmon is a remarkable specimen of a fish sought after by anglers from all over the world. It is so remarkable that the Sagas often mention lax, Icelandic for salmon.  more

Although an inadvertent paladin for her generation, musician and mother-to-be María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir speaks beyond age and social standing to the beleaguered soul of her nation about reconnecting with Iceland’s essential character. Three weeks before her due date the 28-year-old meets with IR staff writer Jonas Moody to discuss her expectant ideas about the island’s future.  more

Amiina’s sound is intimate and rife with mellifluous dialogue. Though lyrics are few and far between, that’s not to say Amiina's new album Kurr doesn’t strike a chord with its listeners. On the contrary, it resonates in the most unexpected of ways.  more

Watch Iceland Review Online's special video feature, an interview with managing director of Iceland Music Export (IMX) Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir discussing how music is leading Iceland out of the crisis.  more

Until July 12, subscriptions to Iceland Review will be offered at a special summer price--15 percent discount. Click here to subscribe and here to read more about the magazine.  more

When you look at the cover of Sigurgeir Sigurjónsson’s 2009 photography book, The Little Big Book about Iceland, it feels as if the book is looking back at you. It’s the strangest sensation. If feels as if you’re looking into the icy blue and all-seeing, all-knowing eye of a prehistoric creature that has awoken from its sleep but remains calm and cool—and into the very depths of Iceland.  more

This week familiarize yourself with the contribution of Icelandic women artists to visual art over the last 12 years through the exhibition “Possibilities” at Reykjavík Art Museum – Hafnarhús, featuring the work of artists who have won recognition from the Gudmunda S. Kristinsdóttir Fund for the Arts, established to empower the creation of art by women.  more