Hrísey

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Hrísey is a small island off the north coast of Iceland, situated approximately 35 kilometres north of Akureyri, in Eyjafjörður. The island is most easily reached by a ferry service that leaves from Árskógssandi, which takes only 15 minutes to reach the island. Since 2004, the island has been a part of the municipality of Akureyri, having previously been a municipality in its own right.

Hrísey itself has a total land area of 7.67 km², and is about 7.5 km long by 2.5 km wide at its widest point in the south. It is the second largest island off the coast of Iceland (after Heimaey in the Vestmannaeyjar). It has a population of approximately 200 people, and has been continuously inhabited since the time of settlement in Iceland.

Historically, the island was used as a base for the fishing industry, first by Norwegians and Swedes, and then by Icelanders, and by the late 19th century it housed a herring salting factory. Unfortunately, overfishing in Icelandic waters led to a steep decline in the fishing industry in the 1960s, and the last fish freezing plant on Hrísey, owned by the Eyjafjörður Co-operative Society, closed in 1999.

More recently, Hrísey has developed a reputation as a good spot for birdwatching. There are no natural predators on the island, making it an ideal bird sanctuary. The northern part of Hrísey, Ystabæjarland, is a privately owned nature reserve, and the killing of birds is forbidden on the rest of the island. Among the 40 species of bird on the island are the ptarmigan, arctic tern, and eider duck.