Norwegian vessel to host exhibition on dogfish longlining

The Norwegian boat Haugefisk will arrive in Lerwick on Wednesday with an exhibition featuring an historic type of fishery from half a century ago.

During the late 1950s longlining for dogfish in the banks off Shetland became a cornerstone of the industry for the Sogn og Fjordane area of western Norway.

Fishermen regularly visited Lerwick and in 1958 a journalist and photographer from the Dagbladet, one of Norway’s leading daily newspapers, joined the crew of the Lestholm catching dogfish off Shetland. Most of the photos in the exhibition were taken by Åsgeir Valldal during the trip.

The Haugefisk herself was built 20 years ago for longline fishing on the banks in the North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean and Barents Sea. However, four years ago she lost her quotas and the Coastal Museum of Sogn og Fjordane took her over and restored her as a floating museum.

The exhibition opens on Wednesday and continues until Sunday, from noon to 6pm each day at Albert Wharf, Lerwick.