The number of young fishermen is increasing, and it increases relatively most for women. For fishermen under the age of 20, the increase was over 9 per cent from 2021 to 2022.
The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries' statistics on fishermen show that it is attractive to enter the fishing industry, and this is a gratifying development, says Jon-Erik Henriksen, who is the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries' director of the management division.
He believes that when young people have their eyes on the fishing profession, it must be seen in the context of framework conditions for the fishing fleet that facilitate good jobs with competitive remuneration.
We also see that young people apply to the blue lines, where through good educational offers they can get a safe path into a future-oriented career alternative, says Henriksen.
Largest increase in young female fishermen
The number of female fishermen with fishing as their main occupation increased by 9 per cent from 2021 to 2022. At the end of 2022, 432 women with fishing as their main occupation were registered, while in 2021 there were 396 women with fishing as their main occupation.
It is among the youngest women that the increase is greatest. At the end of 2022, there were 138 registered female fishermen under the age of 30, while the corresponding figure at the turn of the previous year was 122, i.e. an increase of 13 per cent.
Recently, there has been a lot of focus on making better arrangements for women in the fishing industry, and that is also something the Directorate of Fisheries is concerned with. That is why it is particularly positive that there is an increase in the number of young female fishermen, says Henriksen.
More fishermen under the age of 40
Regardless of gender, the increase in the number of fishermen was greatest among the very youngest, those under 20, because in this youngest age group the increase was 9.4 per cent. In this age group, there were 309 fishermen in 2021 and 338 fishermen in 2022, who had fishing as their main occupation.
There was also a solid increase in the number of fishermen in the 30-39 age group. In this age group, there were 1748 fishermen in 2021 and 1836 fishermen in 2022, who had fishing as their main occupation, which corresponds to an increase of 5 per cent.
Statistics on fishermen in the number of fishermen
No sign of ageing of the fishing profession
The public often paints a picture of an industry characterised by obsolescence. Our statistics on fishermen show, on the contrary, that recruitment to the fishing profession is going in the right direction. As it appears, workplaces at sea are attractive to both the young and the elderly, which is a sign of health, says Henriksen.
He emphasises that we must continue the good work to recruit young people into the industry, while at the same time we must take care of those who are already there.