Norwegian waters brimming with cod

This winter’s cod haul in Norway is predicted to break all records, and the Barents Sea is brimming with the fish. The fishing industry, however, fears that without an increase in demand, cod prices may drop, and they have embarked on a global hunt for new consumers. The North East Arctic cod stock, the largest [...]

Fishing industry still fears retaliation over higher import tariffs

Norway’s huge and important fishing industry remains deeply worried that its seafood exports will be slapped with higher customs duties, in retaliation for the Norwegian government’s decision to protect domestic agriculture by jacking up import tariffs on meat and cheese from abroad. Norway’s foreign minister has responded by telling the industry to stop publicizing their [...]

King crab conditions ‘critical’

Once a coastal pest, now a delicacy, the kongekrabben (king crab) that’s become a major part of the seafood industry in Norway now faces an uncertain future. Maritime researchers worry they’re simply not reproducing quickly enough to meet demand. Intense activity in the crab-catching business suddenly seems to be showing negative consequences and researchers aren’t [...]

Shrimp catch ‘incredibly good’

The shrimp harvest in the northern county of Troms is being described as “very good” and even “incredibly good” this month, with some processing firms operating at full production all summer long. Lyngen Reker is among those having busy days, with around 15 shrimp boats delivering up to 2,500 kilos a week. Jack Robert Møller [...]

Fredriksen’s busy summer

Norwegian shipping, offshore and seafood magnate John Fredriksen doesn’t seem to have been taking much time off this summer, with two of his biggest firms announcing major contracts and pushing forward with expansion plans. As usual, though, Norway’s most successful entrepreneur faces some battles with the government. Fredriksen, who hails from a working class family [...]

Norwegian parents ‘spoil’ their kids

Young Norwegians are so privileged and demanding that relatively few have been working in hotels, restaurants, fish factories or warehouses this summer. Frustrated Norwegian employers claim they simply can’t find Norwegian youth willing to take such traditional summer jobs. “Whether it’s because the jobs aren’t ‘fine’ enough, or don’t pay enough is difficult to say,” [...]

Sunken boat to be raised after fatal accident

The seafood company that owned a boat used in connection with a fish farming operation in northern Norway wants to raise the vessel after it sunk earlier this week. The accident claimed the lives of a 42-year-old woman and her one-year-old daughter. Circumstances around the accident at Store Kufjorden north of Alta remained unclear, but [...]

Cod fishing better than ever

Fishing fleets off Northern Norway are suddenly hauling in enormous amounts of torsk (cod), not least around Senja. They say the fishing has been “exceptional,” and capacity is bursting at terminals on shore. “There’s no point saying this is like fishing used to be in the good old days,” Arthur Jacobsen told fishing industry newspaper [...]

Good times over for salmon farmers

Historically high prices for Norwegian salmon have taken a dive recently and now Norway faces renewed competition and compensation claims from Chile, where salmon farmers were nearly wiped out by a virus some believe was imported from Norway. Norwegian newspapers have been carrying stories this week about how researchers at the University of Bergen believe [...]

Anti-whaling activists still angry

A Norwegian official’s claim that the country no longer faces international protests over its commercial whaling activity has been soundly trounced by anti-whaling activists. They claim opposition to Norwegian whaling is as strong as ever. “I respectfully disagree with former IWC Commissioner (and Norwegian diplomat) Karsten Klepsvik’s claim that anti-whaling protests against Norway have died [...]

Whaling protests die down

After years of being on the defensive, Norwegian officials reportedly have begun to relax a bit after a marked decline in international protests over their controversial whaling activity. Now the Foreign Ministry even seems ready to hand over responsibility for whaling to the Fisheries Ministry. “We have noticed that there’s more calm around the whaling [...]

Salmon lice grow ‘dramatically’

A report by the state food authority reveals that lice levels have increased “dramatically” over the last year, especially among salmon, trout and young trout in key fishing areas around Norway. The situation is particularly problematic along the west Norwegian coast, where a number of large fish farms are found. In parts of Hardangerfjord, salmon [...]

Cod bounty along the coast

Norway’s fishing industry is reporting more cod than ever in the waters along the coast, all the way from Møre in the west to Øst-Finnmark in the far north. Some fishing boats have already caught their quotas of skrei, the cod that swims into Norwegian waters to spawn. “Last week we sold 22,500 tons of [...]

Norway ready to boost seafood exports to Japan

Norwegian exporters were preparing for increased sales of seafood to Japan, since much of Japan’s own important seafood industry has been destroyed or possibly contaminated by its recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant damage. “We have received signals that there will be much more demand for fresh salmon, since large portions of Japan’s own [...]

Debate simmers over food prices

Shopping at a Norwegian grocery store can still be an expensive affair, but state statistics show food prices in Norway declined last year for the first time since 1998. While some meat prices fell, however, seafood and produce prices have jumped. That has set off concerns that healthy food costs more, meaning that Norwegian food [...]

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