The Deep Sea Fishing Fleet Volume I

The first volume of the history of the deep-sea fishing fleet in Møre og Romsdal and Trøndelag covers the century-long period 1860-1960. Western European countries had been engaged in deep-sea fishing for a long time before they seriously began bank and deep-sea fishing in Sunnmøre. Ålesund was for a long time the center of this fishing. Throughout the century-long period, fishing along the Norwegian coast was nevertheless used as a foundation for constantly searching for more distant waters. Ålesund also attracted nearby villages. A prerequisite for such deep-sea and deep-sea fishing was steam vessels. Later came the transition to diesel-powered vessels, which again increased the radius of action.

The Hundred Years' War was characterized by combined fishing, where winter herring fishing on the Norwegian coast could be combined with seal fishing, herring fishing off Iceland, line trips to Iceland and eventually Greenland and Newfoundland. The book goes into detail about the vessels, the types of gear and the work of the fishermen in the different fields. The associated industries on land are also discussed. Important political issues, spiritual life, cultural and social life also find ample space in the book.

The History of the Deep-Sea Fishing Fleet in Møre og Romsdal and Trøndelag is the first fisheries history work in Norway to focus on the deep-sea fishing fleet. The work has been created through a collaboration between the Aalesund Shipowners' Association, four historians and a political scientist from the university environments in Volda and Molde, Møreforsking Molde and the local business community, which has supported the work financially.