"The Mehamn Uprising of 1903 and whaling"

In the lecture, Nilsen talks about how whaling has shaped coastal communities, the economy, the environment and politics in Norway and globally, with the Mehamn Uprising as a key historical turning point in the fight for sustainable resource management and fishermen's rights. The content of the lecture combines historical stories, biological knowledge and modern perspectives to provide a complete picture of the importance and challenge of whaling throughout history. Some whale species were almost extinct in the 1900th century, and whaling took place in all oceans.
The Mehamn uprising is considered one of the most important struggles waged by the working class in Norwegian history. The Queen "Great Edward" was able to calm the situation.
There were workers' uprisings in several places in the country. Sulitjelma and Trollfjord to name a few. The regent was King Oscar II of Sweden. His importance in the struggle is mentioned.
Nilsen also talks about the different methods of catching whales, and about the Foyn cannon that revolutionized whaling. In the lecture, he also discusses the whale as the world's largest animal, with the different subspecies, which all have different characteristics. Some have enormous heads, others have a streamlined body. Some even have a spear in their snout.

Arne Johan Nilsen is an author and historian. He has worked with cranes, including offshore and abroad. Also spent periods in Svalbard. He comes from Kjøllefjord, now lives in Oslo, but also has family ties to Ørsta. Arne Johan Nilsen has published eight books.

After the lecture, dinner will be served, and this time of course with beef from the whale on the menu. Registration for dinner. Tickets can be found here: Polar Evening and Food