-Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following.
-The Stavanger region -- adventurous shores, deep fjords, lively towns, and the iconic Preikestolen.
The edge of Norway.
-Norwegian Alpinco -- connecting mountain spots, steep slopes, alpine villages, and outdoor activities all year round.
-In Sigdal, Norway, where mountains rise and forests whisper... Anne Line and Courtney create Norwegian gifts so you can bring a piece of Norway with you.
Nordic Box -- memories from Norway.
- Oh, take me home Take me home where I belong -VGAN Chocolate -- Norwegian flavor.
- I can't take it anymore [ Dramatic music plays ] -Yeah.
The time has finally come, Stig, to go out and try and find this crab.
-Yeah.
But there is a storm going on, so we have to wait a little bit.
-There is.
We have to wait a little bit.
[ Music stops ] We're still waiting for better weather far out in the Barents Sea, so we have to kill some time in Austevoll.
-Yeah.
[ Dramatic music plays ] -Join me on a journey where we will meet people who live, work, and enjoy life right here in the far north.
[ Hard rock music plays ] [ Engine starts ] [ Both laugh ] [ Foghorn blows ] [ Classical music plays ] [ Hard rock music plays ] I'm taking you to meet the fantastic people of the north.
The Barents Sea does not begin at Austevoll, outside Bergen.
This is where the snow crab fishermen are from -- a society built on the richness from the sea.
And I have a date with a proud lady.
Meet Vima.
She will travel the whole Norwegian coast to fish snow crab as far north as any ship can go.
Captain Atle Forland is at home in Austevoll to supply everything needed for the long journey ahead.
"Schnitzel aus Deutschland."
Cod, fish pudding.
I love fish pudding.
Swedish thin breads.
Oh, oh!
Ho ho ho!
[ Mid-tempo music plays ] Vima is stocked up with 9,600 pots.
Bait is coming aboard.
Next up, the icy waters close to the North Pole.
And it is the icy waters where we will spend the next couple of weeks, because this is where the stars of this episode -- the snow crab -- roams, and the heroes -- the crab fishermen -- make their living.
The islands of Austevoll, on the west coast of Norway, has a long and proud fishery history.
This vital and prosperous society has no less than 667 islands.
Surrounded by the ocean, people here have throughout time sought outwards to make a living.
The fishery entrepreneurs of Austevoll has always been ready to adapt to changes and modern ways.
They still hold a large fleet for traditional fisheries, like herring and mackerel, but were also pioneers when salmon farming started in the '80s.
And when Norway discovered the vast resources of snow crab and opened these fisheries 10 years ago, it was natural for the Austevollians to take part and head north.
Today, Austevoll is the municipality with the youngest inhabitants on the west coast of Norway.
This should definitely be promising for the future life of this archipelago.
[ Funk music plays ] A ship is closing in with a very special cargo heading for Austevoll High School, where the ocean is curriculum.
On board this school ship is the next-generation fishermen from this historic fishery community.
-In our school, they will have their practical education, and they will learn all about making their own fishing equipments.
They will learn about navigation.
They will learn everything they need to operate a boat in the fjords and out in the oceans.
-Steady as she goes.
Four to five degrees.
-Part of the education is to help getting ready the other ship you'll meet in this episode, Vestland Arctic, who is also going for snow crab hair.
Here is the future of the Norwegian fishing industry.
And you are all students at the fisheries school here.
-Yeah.
-And why have you chosen to join the fishery industry?
-I have feeling that this will be my future work, and I have always loved to be on the sea.
I want to be a captain in the future, but now I will be just on the deck and -- yeah.
-My dream is to be a captain.
It's actually pretty boring to just sit in class and -- yeah.
So it's fun to go out and do something.
-It's been really popular the last years.
And this year, we have 60 students on the first level.
-And in your family, a lot of people are in the fishery industry?
-No.
Actually, just me.
-[ Laughs ] So you're the first.
-Yeah.
-And what kind of reactions do you get?
-My family is pretty proud, 'cause I actually choose the way I want to go and not the way everyone else go.
-Yeah.
It is a long journey from the west coast to where the snow crab can be found.
Vima sails the coast while Stig and I take the plane to Kirkenes and then to the port of Baatsfjord -- a thriving fishery community and one of the northernmost settlements in the world.
When we get there, we are curious to see if Vima has had any luck on her first of many fishing trips further north.
Yeah.
The time has finally come, Stig, to go out and try and find this crab.
-Yeah.
But there is a storm going on.
-There is.
-We have to wait a little bit.
-Unfortunately, the weather north of Baatsfjord has worsened and we have suddenly quite some time to kill.
But there's a lot to do in Baatsfjord.
One can, for example, visit an empty fish factory, where they are also waiting for the crab to get their production going.
We're still waiting for better weather far out in the Barents Sea, so we have to kill some time in Baatsfjord.
-Yeah.
And what to do?
-Just go into the bar, and you meet a couple of guys who are going out for king crab, over there.
Inside the fjord, the conditions are fairly good.
[ Mid-tempo music plays ] -Oh.
Ha ha!
-Lovely weather.
-Yeah.
-it's a bit cold now, but now you see how it's to be a fisherman in Norway, in Baatsfjord.
Now you're a real fisherman.
-[ Laughs ] [ Engine starts ] There's lots to do, like snowmobile safari.
-Arne, we are living the good life.
-We are definitely living the good life.
Cheers!
-Cheers!
-For more inspiration, visit our website... We are still here.
Any suggestion, Stig?
-[ Laughs ] [ Weill's "Mack the Knife" plays ] We are actually now on a bird safari in Baatsfjord, on the brink of the Barents Sea.
And this is actually a paradise for bird watchers.
And we are here with two of the most prizewinning European bird photographers and a local amateur.
-[ Chuckles ] Amateur?
-Uh, never mind.
The thing is that the birds in Siberia, they come here when it's too cold in Siberia, stay here to find a partner, and then they go back to Siberia.
And what we're looking for is king eider, Steller's eider, and numerous ducks and special Arctic birds.
[ Mid-tempo music plays ] [ Camera shutter clicking ] [ Camera shutter clicking ] [ Soft music plays ] Not so bad, Stig, but I think you should stick to gin.
Finally, our crab fish friends on Vima is a dock in Baatsfjord.
And as soon as the catch is unloaded, we are bound for the icy north.
-Hi.
Yeah?
-Hi.
-Now this catch is going on shore.
-Yeah.
We just finished the trip, and now we are gonna unload the frozen product and the live catch.
-Wow.
-Yeah.
We've been out for -- We have three weeks fishing.
-Yeah.
-We had temperatures down in minus 35 degrees.
-That's cold.
[ Laughs ] And probably some wind, as well.
-Yeah.
-Okay.
But tell me, this is... These are alive.
-Yeah.
This is live catch.
We have two products on board.
We have ready-to-eat product, which is frozen in boxes, and we have the live catch.
The live catch is mainly for the live market around the world.
-This fellow is going all the way to China.
[ Dramatic music plays ] -MSC.
-MSC approved.
-Certified, yeah.
-Yes.
-And this is the FDA requirement for the nutrition facts.
-The products are MSC-certified, which means that it confirms that Vestland Arctic and Vima meets the strictest international standards for sustainable fisheries and welfare for the fishermen.
That's what I like.
Captain Atle has delivered 350,000 pounds from Vima has been delivered here in Baatsfjord.
And, then, you, Alvin, come in to... check the quality, is it?
-Yes.
-It's been a very prosperous tour.
We once again head out into the dark waters.
We are going out to the open sea, where the polar bear roams and the weather is rough.
-Meet Vestland Arctic, a vessel built for resilience and ambition, anchored in cooperation and camaraderie.
Working alongside Vima, she braves the Arctic extremes, chasing snow crabs across the icy Barents Sea, navigating where few dare to journey.
It is more than a day and a half to the fishing grounds of the snow crab, and it's a tough one to catch.
In contrast to the king crab, which lives along the northern coast of Norway, the snow crab roams all the way to the ice edge.
It needs cold, clear water and will not survive further south.
Once the pens are hauled and emptied and the snow crab is on board, it's immediately processed to keep it as fresh as possible before it's frozen.
Atle, you're an experienced fisherman.
If this is the worst time of year to go in the Barents Sea, why don't you fish this snow crab in the summer?
-The meat in the crab is very bad in the summertime.
So from 1st of July to November, we can't fish snow crab.
-Oh.
So it's because of quality, also.
- Vima and Vestland Arctic, like other crab boats, are a fishing vessel and, also, a large factory.
-Martin, what's your role here on Vestland Arctic ?
-My role on board of Vestland Arctic, I'm a factory foreman.
I have the responsibility to oversee the production and to make sure that we are working fast and safe and controlled and take the temperature of the boilers or the degrees of the brines.
And yeah, so it doesn't explode.
[ Laughs ] -I mean, this is the 11th season I've been on snow crab fishing in the Barents Sea.
On board, we have 51%, 52% Norwegian people, and we have crew member from Bulgaria, Moldova, Sweden.
We are international.
-The thing that fascinates me most, it's the contrast of working hard, hating life, have pain in your body, and then you get this instant relief when you can sleep and you can relax.
-In these waters, the weather can be rough, but, also, very exotic and rewarding.
It's a tough job to be a snow crab fisherman.
-It's freezing cold out here.
-And it's so far north.
-Yeah.
I think this is as north as you can go with a boat.
-I'm glad it's not my line of work.
-[ Laughs ] Me too.
This is too cold.
-I'm gonna... send a warm thought to them next time in a fancy restaurant, which I am from time to time, and eat the snow crab.
I will think about these people who really go up here in the dark, cold -- -Harsh winter conditions.
Do you think they need some help in the kitchen?
I would be more than happy to help out.
[ Both laughing ] -When you are this long at sea, the meals are extra important.
Stig has volunteered to go inside and help Benedicte in the galley, needed or not.
-Now, we are here in the galley together with Benedicte, and we will cook some of the finest delicacies we have in the Barents Sea -- king crab and the snow crab, of course.
-Yes.
I will gratin this with chili and garlic with some of those and boil to cook the other.
-And what a meal we get.
In a fancy restaurant, this would easily be some of the more expensive dishes you could order.
But we have plentiful.
-I cut off this part, and I twist it to take out this part.
It's not good to eat.
[ Folk music plays ] Oh, nice.
-Ruben you're the chief officer... -Yes.
-...on this proud vessel.
-Mm.
-During a year.
How long time are you out fishing?
-The fishery starts in January, and then we fish until -- Yeah, in the middle of April or something.
It's not more than five weeks normally.
Long trips, yeah.
-But what do you think of that, being away such a long time?
-Oh, it's okay.
But sometimes you get a little bit tired or yeah.
We are so many people on board, so it's like a small community out at sea.
-It's like a family.
-Yeah.
We have not only Norwegians on board.
We have people from Lithuania and Moldova and some other Eastern European countries.
-It's a small world in itself.
-Yeah, it is.
- Vestland Arctic was originally built as a research vessel and is 217 feet long.
The ship is a very flexible fishing vessel.
In the winter, it has the capability to go far north for the snow crab, and in other seasons it can troll after the wonderful, large North Atlantic shrimps and also trolling the North Sea.
For more inspiration, visit our website... [ Down-tempo music plays ] [ Seagulls crying ] Lovely snow crab from the Barents Sea is offloaded here in Baatsfjord.
And we have managed to sneak off a little box for ourselves, and we're gonna take it to Austevoll.
And what are you gonna do with it there?
-We're gonna have an amazing dinner with the locals.
-Straight from the Barents Sea.
We are heading back to Austevoll and Vestland Seafood has taken care of our valuable catch and will make sure we get all we need for a real crab party.
Thank you, thank you.
[ Laughs ] Olaskjeret, the lovely, cozy restaurant and inn on its own little island, is the venue for the snow crab feast.
Look at this.
Jorgen, you're an excellent chef.
Can you make magic out of this?
-Of course I can.
Thank you.
[ Soft music plays ] -Christina, this magic, little island called Olaskjeret -- what kind of place is it?
-This is a place where you can sleep well, eat well, and experience the nice coastline.
-The coast here is magic.
And this is run by your family?
-Yeah.
We have five children.
The extended family is huge.
So we love to be together and work together.
We have a great time here.
-Looking forward to experience Olaskjeret.
And my friend Stig is on his way, so maybe he can top the experience a little bit with some of his magic.
[ Hip-hop music plays ] -Ah.
I know Arne is out there with a lot of fishermen, and I think they will need a dry martini.
-Stig, this is what we're going to feast on tonight.
Can you make something suitable for the wonderful snow crab?
-Yes.
Since this is this clean crabmeat from the ice-cold water, I want to make a totally naked martini.
[ Album scratches ] Gin.
Dilute it a little bit with ice.
Serve together with that.
[ Down-tempo music plays ] I don't need that, though.
-[ Laughs ] And, then, you just stir it with ice cubes?
-Yes.
Because you actually don't need a vermouth.
As long as you have a good, rich-flavored gin, it's more about think about, look to France, do whatever you want.
-[ Laughs ] We don't need much.
-Try it with the snow crab.
-Fast food.
-Oh.
That's a perfect combination.
Snow crab has sort of like a sweet flavor to it.
-Yes.
And that works perfectly together with the botanical elements in the gin.
Perfect.
-Not too many flavors when you have such wonderful ingredients.
-Exactly.
-Cheers.
-Skal.
[ Down-tempo music plays ] -In the charming kitchen with a view.
Chef Jorgen is doing his magic with this precious ingredients.
-Jorgen, what are you doing here?
-I'm making some snow crab.
-Tell me a little bit about this produce.
-This is the defrosted snow crab.
It came straight from the boat.
On the boat it's caught, and it's cut, and it's cooked, and it's frozen.
-This is a quite new part of the Norwegian fishery, I would say.
-Yeah, yeah.
It is, it is.
-But your background is not working on a boat.
-No.
-Now you're at the sea.
But you used to be a chef in fine-dining restaurants all over Bergen.
-Yeah.
So, I spent 20 years behind the kitchen and 15 of them as a head chef, and I needed to get some fresh air.
So I started -- -Now you're a chef on board the boat.
-Yeah.
This is an Asian take on the snow crab.
So I just try them in oil.
-Ah.
-And I made a teriyaki sweet chili sauce, some spring onions on top.
-It looks amazing, though.
This is more traditional way of having the seafood in general, I would say.
-Yeah.
-But what's this, then?
-This is snow crab salad with some herring caviar on top.
-I really, really look forward to this meal.
-Yeah.
-Thank you.
-For inspiration and more, visit our website... -Sigve, how did this snow crab fishery start, actually?
-Well, it started in the summer, in 2014, and the company I'm working, Br.
Birkeland, and they wanted to see if there was snow crab in the Barents Sea.
Go up there, never done it before, just to see if they find the crab.
And they do so, and then they go up to November and start fishing and have been done this since then.
So very good product.
It's high yield, and I'm quite sure it will be a very good product.
we in Norway can have out, especially in Europe, because it's very close to Europe.
And 750 million people living in Europe.
So if I was not eating crab, we don't have enough crab in Norway.
[ Both laugh ] -For more inspiration, visit our website... -Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following.
-The Stavanger region -- adventurous shores, deep fjords, lively towns, and the iconic Preikestolen.
The edge of Norway.
-Norwegian Alpinco -- connecting mountain spots, steep slopes, alpine villages, and outdoor activities all year round.
-In Sigdal, Norway, where mountains rise and forests whisper... Anne Line and Courtney create Norwegian gifts so you can bring a piece of Norway with you.
Nordic Box -- memories from Norway.
- Oh, take me home Take me home where I belong -VGAN Chocolate -- Norwegian flavor.
- I can't take it anymore
Passport
Follow Us