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Created to safeguard the collective interests of Iceland’s small fishing boat owners, the National Association of Small Boat Owners – NASBO or Landssamband smábátaeigenda – is a both a Supporter and exhibitor at the IceFish 2026 Exhibition.
A collective of 16 associations from around Iceland’s coastline, NASBO acts as their official representative across a range of issues impacting small boat operators, including fishing regulations and quotas, safety and insurance matters.
By example, earlier this year the NASBO board called on Iceland’s Minister of Industry Hanna Katrín Friðriksson to “immediately abolish all permissions to fish capelin with pair trawls”. The board argued that the ‘pair’ method – two boats towing one large net – concentrated catch quotas in the hands of a few large operators, marginalising smaller boat owners.
More generally, NASBO works with the various fishing licence management systems in Icelandic waters, particularly the ITQ (Individual Transferable Quota System) and H&L (Hook & Line) ITQ, with the latter exclusive to small boats, as is the separate and specialised Lumpfish Licence.
Small boats in either main system can also have a CF (Coastal Fishing) Licence which limits the time of the year, days of the week and coastal area any vessel can fish, along with other restrictions including the length of trip and weight of cod caught.
NASBO appears to be an Association to be reckoned with.
