Economy, Fishing

An important source of wealth for Norway is its fishing industry. Norway is one of the world’s leading fishing nations, accounting for about 3 percent of the world’s total catch. The nation’s large fishing fleet has an expansive catch area that extends to the banks of Newfoundland in Canada. Since the early 1970s, the government has helped finance the development of a fish-farming industry (particularly of salmon and sea trout). The total yearly marine catch in 1997 was about 3.2 million metric tons. Important species caught include capelin, herring, mackerel, cod, sand lance (sand eel), pollock, salmon, and prawns.

Norway paused commercial whaling in 1988, but resumed commercial hunting of the minke whale in 1993. As a member of the International Whaling Commission, Norway has consistently resisted efforts to ban the slaughter of whales. Today, the Norwegian government sets a yearly quota of whales that can be killed based on estimates of the whale population.