We're famous!

June 11, 2010
An early morning interview with Vesterålen Bladett kicked off our first full day in Sortland. Our hosts for the day were the Stokmarknes Rotary Club, so we left Sortland for the 45 minute drive to the nearby island of Hadsel. Our first stop this morning was to the salmon fish farm and slaughterhouse, Nordlaks. This particular salmon factory is extremely high tech, reducing the labor force to only 26 employees on the floor and several motorized robots to read barcodes and move heavy boxes to the right conveyer belt. We started our visit checking out the salmon tanks where 30,000 mature fish swim in each pier. Today, about 50,000 were scheduled to be processed so a large vacuum tube was sucking the fish from the water into the plant where they would be electrocuted to paralyze the body and then either sliced for filet or processed as needed. The salmon are approximately five kilos in weight and 2.5 years old when they are mature and ready for processing. In general, Nordlaks prefers to work with fresh fish, however depending on the market price and the demand, they can also make frozen fish for grocery stores. Thankfully, I was able to opt out of the walking tour for this fish factory though I did hear it was much cleaner than the cod factory we visited in Lofoten. Smelly!

After a quick lunch, our next visit in Stokmarknes was to Trollfjord Kraft. Trollfjord Kraft, aptly named after a mountain range near the fjord where the powerhouse is located, was first created in 1907 to provide electricity to the local area. Trollfjord Kraft produces about 15 percent of the electricity needed in Stokmarknes and acts as a medium, purchasing and supplying the remaining energy needs of the area. The company has also expanded to offer other services including installation, technical support and broadband internet, to name a few. With 36 employees, the company’s gross revenue for the year is 100 million NOK or a profit of 9 million NOK after taxes.

Our final visit in Stokmarknes this evening was a trip to the Hurtigruten Museum with a former captain of the ship, Sten Engen. After having taken a ride on the ship, it was interesting to learn the history of the boat including its maiden voyage and the number of ships that have been built and added to the line. It was perhaps most fascinating to see how excited Sten was as he remembered his time aboard various vessels. Before heading back to Sortland for the night, we had dinner at the Isqueen (Ice Queen) boat/restaurant with the Hadsel Rotary Club. After reading my bio, the president of the club surprised me with a shot glass to add to my collection at home!

Interesting Observations:
The people of Norway, while taxed at least 40 percent of their earnings, are much more appreciative of the government than the people of the United States. Perhaps it is because they came from being the poorest country in Europe in the recent past, but there seems to be more of confidence in the government and its ability to make the right decisions for the people. Rather than complain, Norwegians are content paying the taxes because they believe they have it good and are willing to pay the taxes in order to enjoy the lifestyle they share. For that matter, it seems like there is less of push to get the better job or the better salary. Norwegians, in general, seem to be content with where they work and tend to stay in the same job for longer periods of time rather than bouncing around to make earn a better title or pay raise.