Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of the country's few commercial resources in the days before oil - an essential context to
understanding many of Norway's environmental policies as they relate to fishing.
Fish Farming
Theaquacultureindustry,whichhasthrivedforatleasttwodecadesandwasbornoutofthe
depletion of wild-fish stocks, concentrates mainly on Atlantic salmon and trout, but there
have also been experiments with Arctic char, halibut, catfish and scallops. Currently, fish
farming amounts to around 500,000 tonnes of fish per annum, but the export of pen-raised
salmon and trout constitutes 55% of the value of Norway's fish exports.
Thisready-madealternativetooceanfishingdoescarryattendantandpotentiallyserious
consequences. The main drawback is that diseases in captive stock have spread to wild
populations whenever fish escape from the pens, thereby threatening wild populations.
Tightened government regulations have reduced escapes in recent years, but it remains an
issue of major concern.
In 2005 Norway became the first country to announce a national geotourism program in accordance with
National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations. The scheme is built around 13 commitments,
all of which focus on preserving not only the environment, but also on a country's diversity of cultural, his-
toric and scenic assets, as well as stressing community involvement.
Sealing
Seal hunting, perhaps because of its shocking visual images, has been a lightning rod for
condemnation by animal lovers and environmentalists around the world.
In Norway seal hunting has for decades been restricted to two species, the harp seal and
hoodedseal,althoughsince2007thecullofhoodedsealshasbeenprohibited.Thegovern-
ment's support for seal hunting - it provides funding for sealing vessels and sets an annu-
al quota of between 30,000 and 47,000 seals - is mainly driven by the needs of the fish-
ing community, which wishes to restrict the competition between fishing boats and marine
mammals that depend on fish and eat up to 2.5kg per day. Seal meat is also considered a
delicacy in many regions of coastal Norway.
Sealing occurs on a small scale, mainly for fur and meat, but it is argued that it's a cruel
business. To mitigate protests, regulations limit seal hunters to only two tools: a rifle and
a
hakapik,
or gaff; the former is for adult seals and the latter for pups (which may not be
hunted while suckling). Hunters are also required to take courses and shooting tests before
