Women are not the only ones disenfranchised by the streamlining of the fishing industry. Another day guide, Eggert, tells me that when environmental policies were put into effect, all heads of ships were given quotas for each type of fish. It was understood that when the boat was sold, the quota would be, too. Fishermen could, however, rent or sell the quota alone. In recent years, large companies have been building monopolies with multitudes of quotas. It has become common, Eggert explains, that when a man wants to retire, he will sell his boat and quota to the highest bidder, usually one of the large companies. While this makes economic sense, it means that the boat and quota will not be passed along to anyone else in his village. Since no one in the village is fishing, this dearth may cause the local fish plant to close, leading to a loss of local jobs, migration to the city, and the decline of the local real estate market. This upsets Eggert because it puts power in the hands of a few while the individual can no longer work as his own boss.
       
This respect for living and working on a small scale, is, of course, what led to the quota system in the first place. Icelanders have great respect for the environment, as expected of a people who live so close to nature, even in these technological times. As Gudmur says, "Icelanders are used to being very close to the nature" and using goods "to the last thread." Each animal its own It is this spirit of resourcefulness that binds the Icelanders together as a people. Their creativity stems from seeing every member of every group as an individual. Take, for instance, some of the highly specific names of the thirteen Christmas Lads, the Icelandic answer to Santa Claus: door-slammer, curd-gobbler, window-peeper, and pot- scraper. Similarly, when I went riding at Ishestar, the young women who assisted my group were quick to point out the idiosyncrasies of each horse. They looked forward to the chance to ride different ones, depending on their own moods each day. My own horse was extremely spunky, eagerly pushing ahead of the slower horse she was supposed to follow. The instructors fawned over her, and I felt very lucky to have chosen an original. At the end of the trail, however, I found that each rider had a story about his horse's uniqueness, each backed by the enthusiastic agreements of our instructors.

Equally seen as individuals, other animals are given similar amounts of independence. When the Vikings came to the island, the only land mammal was the arctic fox. Besides the horse, the Vikings and their successors imported, some on purpose and others quite by accident, mice, rats, cats, dogs, mink, cows, sheep, and chickens. Eggert tells me that "many farmers just let the sheep decide for themselves" whether they wish to come into the barn during the winter. The unique Icelandic sheep, which bears a very long, soft wool, wanders the hills until spring shearing. Eggert believes the sheep "have some of the best ... or maybe the best lamb meat in the world," because they are allowed to wander free.