Greenland’s fishing economy is facing a new kind of uncertainty as warming conditions linked to climate change disrupt the sea ice that fishermen rely on, with residents describing year-to-year swings that make planning voyages and earning income harder. In Ilulissat, fisherman Helgi Áargil said the conditions on the fjords no longer follow expectations, and he described one outing that left his boat trapped in ice after a glacier broke off nearby last year.
This year, Áargil said the weather has instead been very wet, underscoring how unpredictable the timing and character of the Arctic sea ice has become. Sea ice loss is also changing the geography of fishing itself, as warming alters where fish can be found and how reachable they are, and as some species move deeper for colder water or shift their feeding patterns.
Karl Sandgreen, who heads the Icefjord Center in Ilulissat and documents climate change in the region, said traditional ice fishing has already been reshaped by the sea-ice retreat. Sandgreen said sea ice began disappearing around 1997, and fishermen who previously fished by drilling through ice increasingly started using boats to reach larger areas—an approach that can bring higher costs and additional pollution that can further accelerate warming.
Royal Greenland, Greenland’s biggest employer and a major buyer and processor of catches, is also tracking the change. Chief executive Toke Binzer said he is increasingly worried about a future with greatly diminished sea ice, saying that could force traditional ice fishermen into larger communities and into the ranks of commercial fishing. Binzer said the immediate challenge is supporting traditional fishermen when conditions leave “too much ice to sail, too little to go out on,” adding that the unpredictability has created a “huge” problem.
Binzer said Royal Greenland already provides financing to help fishermen buy boats, which they repay from selling their catch. He also raised concerns that if more people switch from ice-based fishing to boats, the outcome could be economically positive for some livelihoods but could also drive overfishing, particularly as pressure increases on stocks close to shore. He pointed to what he called signs of too much fishing near shore, saying that halibut have been getting smaller.
Marine biodiversity expert Boris Worm, at Dalhousie University in Canada, agreed that the size changes among halibut are a classic indicator of overfishing, where larger fish are caught and smaller, younger ones are left behind. Worm said stocks could rise as retreating ice makes fish more accessible, because warmer conditions can increase rain and melting ice that brings more nutrients for plankton—the food base for fish—but he cautioned that fish may not behave as predictably as they have in the past. He warned that they might seek new food sources if they can no longer feed on algae that grows under the sea ice.
Beyond fisheries themselves, the shift also threatens other Arctic traditions and daily routines tied to sea ice. Áargil described additional pressures as warming moves fish deeper in search of colder waters, and he said, “It’s too warm,” adding that he did not know where the fish were going and that there was “not so much.” The article also noted that dog sledders have been confined to land when sea ice is unavailable, reflecting how broader community practices are linked to winter conditions.
In Nuuk, where fishing companies support packaging and processing, Royal Greenland manager Ken Jakobsen said fishing remains the “most important” part of life. He said the harbor in the capital draws more than 1,000 boats during summer despite a territory population of a little over 50,000, and he said that preserving the ability to sail and fish is crucial for many Greenlanders. With tourism increasing but not yet close to replacing the role of fishing in the economy, residents and industry leaders described few readily available options beyond adapting to the changing ice.