Fishing in Lofoten

People in a rowboat going fishing. The fishing village underneath steep mountains in the background. This print is part of "Atlas Historique et Pittoresque", published in 1842-1852 for "Voyages de la Commission Scientifique du Nord" about the French scientific expedition La Recherche (1838–1840).

Lofoten is was central in the fishery in Northern Norway, filled with fishing villages. It was the source for Norway's first big export item, stockfish. Stockfish has been exported from Lofoten to all over Europe, and the success was partly achieved because of the periods of fast in the Catholic church when you only could eat dairy and fish.