UPDATED: Norway’s embattled new fisheries minister Geir Inge Sivertsen, now facing a lack of confidence vote in Parliament, decided to resign Friday evening after weeks of controversy. His resignation comes after a steady stream of revelations that he wrongly sought unwarranted severance pay, failed to declare or fully disassociate himself from various board positions, and had […]
Fisheries minister off to a rocky start
It’s only been little over a week since Harald Tom Nesvik took on the job as Norway’s new government minister in charge of the fishing industry. On Wednesday he felt compelled to ask the justice ministry to assess his impartiality regarding new guidelines for fish farming, after being publicly challenged over his previous job. Nesvik […]
Whaling season makes waves
The number of boats taking part in Norway’s annual whale hunt is low again this summer, continuing the decline in participation and demand for whale meat that has been seen over the last few years. A proposal by the Fisheries Minister to export whale to Japan drew mixed reactions from the Norwegian industry, while a […]
Fish boycott won’t spread
Norwegian seafood authorities are disappointed by a Russian boycott of Norwegian fish, but don’t believe other countries will follow suit. The Russian boycott came into effect from the start of the new year, and covers species including cod, pollock, herring, mackerel, capelin and sprat. In 2011, Russia was the largest single market for Norwegian seafood. […]
Immigration keeps fishing towns alive
Dozens of Norwegian communities in coastal and rural areas are becoming increasingly dependent on immigrant labour as more and more local youth flock to the cities. Fish farming and agriculture can’t find enough workers within Norway alone, while small towns with plummeting populations are being kept alive by immigrants. Meanwhile, many young Norwegians have been […]