"Iceland is the stronghold of the with the majority of the world's population. Thus, it is not surprising that the species has been an important part of Icelandic culture, folklore and food for many centuries. Aever Petersen (Icelandic Institute of Natural History) initiated the study of Puffins there during the early 1970s. The off Iceland's southern coast have around three-quarters of a million pairs of Puffins breeding at high density on the grassy tops of more than 20 islands in the group. There is a long tradition of fowling and records of the catches have been kept since 1910 with detailed records since 1946. These show that the numbers killed have declined in recent years despite no great reduction in hunting effort."