After years of strong and steady growth, the value of Norwegian seafood exports fell 14 percent in August compared to last year. Experts blame a stronger krone and lower demand in the midst of the Corona crisis. “The decline in seafood exports is a warning about challenging market conditions as a result of the corona […]
Whalers report better times
August 20, 2020
Norway’s controversial whaling industry suddenly has the wind in its sails, with rising demand that’s already resulted in a bigger harvest so far this season than in all of last year. That’s when the industry hit bottom. Many whalers predicted an end to their traditional annual whale hunt as sales slumped in recent years. Only […]
Fisheries minister decides to resign
February 28, 2020
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 […]
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