The annual meeting of the Whale Museum at Húsavík ses. took place today, where the annual accounts for the year 2016 were approved. The operation went well during the year. Operating income amounted to almost 80 million ISK. and the profit for the year amounted to ISK 8 million. Operating income increased by 30% in 2016. This is largely explained by increased attendance at the museum. The number of visitors to the museum was more than 36.000 in 2016, compared to 26.000 in 2015. Income from ticket sales and souvenir sales increased significantly as a result. Grants for individual collaborative projects also increased, but those projects also come with considerable operating expenses. The year's profit (ISK 8,0 million) was slightly lower than the previous year's (ISK 10,5 million). Operating expenses increased overall in 2016. A new foundry exhibition was opened during the year. The installation and design of that exhibition was costly, as was known. Part of the cost was capitalized and part charged. The number of year-round employees was increased during the year. That decision was necessary in light of the increased activity at the museum. There were also some costs involved when the freezers on the ground floor were switched off and emptied.
Good attendance
The museum was well attended in 2016, and there are various explanations for that. A new cast iron exhibition that opened this year attracted a lot of attention, and the museum received a lot of positive feedback from museum visitors following the exhibition's opening in March 2016. Then, a general increase in the number of foreign tourists to Húsavík had a positive effect on attendance. The Whale Museum has a good cooperation with the whale watching companies in Húsavík, where their customers get a discount on tickets to the Whale Museum in return for presenting a whale watching ticket. This arrangement has resulted in an increased number of visitors to the museum. Finally, it was very important that the Whale Museum increased relations and cooperation with major travel agencies that organize trips for foreign tourists around the country during the year.
Educational work
Educational activities at the museum have been in full bloom and went well in 2016. Numerous school groups at all school levels visited the museum, and the Whale School was in place with its annual education and exhibition of students' work during the spring months. The so-called New Bedford Project, where the Whaling Museum and the Whaling Museum in New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA worked together through museum cooperation and the youth exchange was successful. In April, the American student group visited Húsavík, and at the end of May, the Húsvíski group went outside. It can be said that the project has exceeded expectations and the two museums will continue to strengthen the relationship between them. Then the annual Whale Conference was held for the 3rd time and it was extremely well attended, with over 70 guests attending.
Construction
In January and February this year, work is underway at the museum to update the so-called whaling exhibit at the museum. The exhibition will be changed into a whaling exhibition where whale watching will be better presented next to a whaling exhibition where the history of whaling off Iceland will continue to be traced. Exhibition designer Þórarinn Blöndal is in charge of this new exhibition, just like last year's quarry exhibition. Construction is currently underway in the museum's storage space on the ground floor. The floor and soil need to be replaced, as water had been leaking in through the load-bearing wall for years, rendering the space unusable. In the coming years, various types of maintenance will continue to be needed in the exhibits at the museum. In addition, there will continue to be maintenance of various kinds on the exterior of the building.
Board elected
The Whale Museum is a recognized museum according to the decision of the Council of Museums and is a non-profit non-profit organization. According to the museum's bylaws, the board is elected after nominations from the Norðurþing municipality, parties in tourism in Húsavík, research institutes in the region, and finally the Þingeyinga Cultural Center nominates a board member.
At the annual meeting, the following were elected to the board:
Margrét Hólm Valsdóttir
Sif Jóhannesdóttir
Heiðar Hrafn Halldórsson
Thorkell Lindberg Thorarinsson
