Ever since the first settlements  fishery and the harvesting of the sea have been the livelihood of the people of the Westfjords. Farmers built their fishing stations on the peninsulas, a short distance from the fish banks and sent their men to work at the stations,  weeks at a time. In the 19th century the fishing industry was revolutionized by decked vessels and in the 20th century even bigger vessels emerged such as trawlers, first the side trawlers and then the stern trawlers.