The fishing industry in Greenland is very important to the national economy of Greenland and local food supply. It is the source of many people's livelihoods all across the country, employing some 6,500 out of a national population of 56,452 people (2010). [1][2]
Fishing exports from Greenland in the past 20 years are accounted at about 90% of the country's total exports with international firms finding it a profitable business.[3] Exports are mostly to the United States, Japan, Norway, Thailand, Germany, the United Kingdom, Iceland, and Denmark.[4] The contribution of fishing industries to the economy of Greenland as a whole is estimated to be more than 50%; contribution to gross national income of the country is reported to be as high as 20%.[5]
The fish that dominate the Greenlandic fishing industry are mainly shrimp, cod, halibut and salmon. They are caught and processed in Greenland and then are sold, often exported in frozen cans. The center of the fishing industry lies in the south of the country, the main hub is in Disko Bay in the southwest.