Because of the importance of fishery for farmers they often located their farms near a good landing place. Owning a good landing place could be of great revenue, there for those places were often owned by wealthy farmers, the church and various monasteries.

The main fishing season was in the autumn, after the traditional farming season, and went on until Christmas. In the fishing season, farmers from all over Iceland travelled on foot, sometimes across the country, to participate fishery. In the 19th century it was common that farmers from Húnaþing area rowed from fishing stations in Reykjanes and Snæfellsnes.

In the fishing stations, the fishermen stayed in small and cold fisherman’s huts made of rock, mud and timber, over the coldest winter moths. When the huts were full, some of the fishermen had to sleep outside in tents or under the boats.

Each fishing station usually accommodated 2 – 6 boats, with 4 – 12 men each. Most of these farmers did not own their own boats, so they worked on other boats for wages or part of the catch. It was very common that tenant farmers had a duty to row on the landowner’s boat, and therefore only got part of the salary they worked so hard for.