Fishing, hunting and farming have always been the most important industries for the population of Nord-Troms. The fisherman farmer was self-sufficient with what nature had to offer from the sea, the land and the countryside. Regulations and quotas for fishing have made it difficult for the people of the fjord to pursue traditional combined farming.
Good fishing conditions meant that people in northern Troms were self-sufficient. Home fishing took place all year round, and women were also able to contribute. Eventually, money became more important, and the men left to participate in seasonal fishing in Lofoten and Finnmark.
Cod fishing in Lofoten started just after the New Year and lasted until the beginning of April. Until the Second World War, fishing in Lofoten was the most important source of income for fishermen in the north.
In the spring, the fishermen participated in cod fishing in Finnmark. They also exchanged goods with the Pomors from Russia, the Pomor trade, which provided an opportunity to obtain goods such as sugar, coffee and grain products.
The cessation of the Pomor trade as a result of the Russian Revolution (1917) hit the Sea Sami areas particularly hard.
On the longer journeys, five-footers and eight-footers (Nordland boats) were used, and later skates. People from Lyngen were known to be good boat builders, and dinghies, pointed boats and Nordland boats were all built.
Fishing was carried out using gear such as jukes, lines and nets. Dragnets were used for herring fishing.
Crisis time
The inter-war period was characterised by crises, and the fishing industry was hit hard with falling prices, sales problems and heavy debt. The period has been labelled the «poor era». Despite some positive changes in Norwegian fisheries policy in the 1930s, including the implementation of the Raw Fish Act, which set a minimum price for fish, this did little to benefit the Sea Sami communities. Support from the authorities favoured those who lived from fishing alone, and took less account of those who lived from fishing in combination with agriculture. Fishermen in the Sea Sami areas lagged behind in terms of modernisation, both in terms of equipment, boats and fishing methods.
Regulations and quotas
Regulations to limit fishing as a result of years of overfishing and seal invasion hit Sea Sami communities hard.
The closure of the cod fishery in 1989 led to a state of crisis for many coastal communities that were dependent on cod. A system of vessel quotas was introduced for the 1990 fishing year. This meant that fishermen with the largest boats received a free quota, while fishermen with small boats lost their vessel quota. In order to receive a quota, fishermen had to have caught a certain amount of cod in previous years. Very few people in the Sea Sami villages who lived partly from fishing were able to do this. As a result, they lost their right to make a living from fishing.
Between 1980-1988, the catch of cod by fishing vessels under 15 metres was reduced by 62 % in the Sea Sami districts.
Sami organisations and the Sami Parliament have fought a long battle to give fishermen in the Sea Sami areas back the right to fish in the sea, but have so far received little support for their demands from the authorities.
Hoavda and the sword cubs
Programmes about Sea Sami fishing:
The documentary Kasta på land, NRK
Sami monthly magazine. How the crisis in the fisheries affects the Sea Sami culture, NRK 1990
Studio nord - The Sea Sami - the forgotten people 1:2, NRK 1984
Studio nord - The Sea Sami - the forgotten people 2:2, NRK 1984
Radio
Fiskerimagasinet, Sjøsamene, NRK 1990, National Library of Norway
Folket ved tungsjøen, En vandring i sjøsamenes historie, NRK 1984
NAVUONA MEARRASAMIT - The Sea Sami in Kvænangen, NRK 1991
Relevant links
Wants the Sea Sami to receive favourable treatment
NOU 2008: The right to fish in the sea off Finnmark
The history of Norwegian fisheries, National Library of Norway
Digital books
Working days at sea: stories from fishing in the old days, National Library of Norway
About the conditions of the patches, National Library of Norway
The fjord people in Kvænangen, Ivar Bjørklund, National Library of Norway
About the Sea Sami, National Library of Norway
Articles in the media
No-one listens to coastal fishermen, Fiskarbladet
Is it too late for the Sea Sami, Seen from the north 2016
Why people move away from Sea Sami communities, NRK Sápmi 2012
