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 […]
More arrests for king crab crime
November 29, 2019
Police have conducted more raids against a criminal network suspected of illegally trapping king crab and selling the crabs nationwide. The network is believed to have generated tens of millions of kroner in illegal revenues. Several locations in eastern Finnmark were targeted between Thursday evening and Friday morning. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported Friday that several […]
State won’t reel in fish-farming tax
November 6, 2019
A Norwegian professor hooked a new proposal this week to more heavily tax the country’s highly lucrative fish-farming operations. Norway’s conservative government and a majority in Parliament seem unlikely to reel it in but debate was flying, even before wealthy and indignant salmon producers dismissed higher taxes as “a Russian solution” fueled by envy. Quickly […]
Seafood exports set new record
August 8, 2019
Norway’s weaker currency is good for exports, and likely helped seafood producers set a new record in July for the value of their shipments abroad. News service NTB reports that Norway exported 164,000 tons of seafood last month, worth NOK 7.8 billion (USD 876 million). Even though the size of the shipment was lower than […]
Calls roll in for a train line to Tromsø
July 30, 2019
Norway’s Socialist Left party (SV) is calling “all aboard” for its proposal to build a long-sought train line to Tromsø in Northern Norway. The country’s train service currently terminates in Bodø, but the state railroad directorate has just concluded a study on extending it to Tromsø via Narvik. Called Nord-Norgebanen (NNB), the train line would […]
Vintage vessel gets new berth in Bodø
July 7, 2019
PHOTO FEATURE: After decades of battling the elements outdoors, Norway’s last surviving vessel from a vital part of its maritime history has finally won a new and much more worthy berth in the northern city of Bodø. Visitors can now experience the vessel, known as a jekt, from all angles inside a brand new museum […]
More deadly algae found near Tromsø
June 5, 2019
Salmon producers in Northern Norway were bracing for more losses after dead fish were found this week in four fish farming facilities around Tromsø. Tests showed traces of a natural algae that kills the fish, but fishing authorities think the situation was under control. Salmon farming operations in Troms and Nordland counties were hit hard […]
Algae kills 10,000 tons of salmon
May 22, 2019
Salmon farmers in Northern Norway are in despair, following the natural but deadly blossoming of an algae that’s literally been choking their fish. Wild fish can swim away from the algae, but the salmon contained in offshore production facilities didn’t have a chance when the algae started descending upon them last week. Norway’s state directorate […]
Norway won snow crab conflict
February 15, 2019
Norway’s Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a Latvian fishing vessel that was convicted of illegally trapping snow crabs off Svalbard. The high court concluded that Norway, which has control over the Arctic island group through an international treaty, has exclusive rights to harvest the crabs. The Latvians’ legal complaint has been working its […]
Seafood industry hooks more profits
December 31, 2018
Seafood producers in Norway will be sailing into the New Year with solid balance sheets, high salaries and, in at least one case, extraordinary bonuses. One young skipper of a fishing boat in Northern Norway earns more than the prime minister. “Business has been very good, especially the last two years,” Line Ellingsen of the […]
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