Newsletter: A Forewarned Crisis?

The Norwegian white fish sector is facing a crisis as a 25-30 percent quota reduction is predicted for next year. 

"The situation is serious," says the Norwegian politician Bengt Rune Strifeldt (Progress Party). (Norwegian only) 

There are no simple solutions to the situation.

"We don't think it will go lower, but it's going to take a few years before there is a significant increase of the cod quota," says ocean researcher Bjarte Bogstad at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. (Norwegian only)

The Russian shadow fleet

Our investigative journalist , Malte Humpert, continues to follow the Russian shadow fleet closely.  

Six weeks after a sanctioned load of liquefied natural gas traveled down the Norwegian coastline, the same cargo returns to the Arctic after a failed attempt to transit the Suez Canal.

And a new report sheds light on Russia's Arctic investments and highlights the region's increased strategic importance.

Defense news 

The Nordic Chiefs of Defense have signed an agreement on a joint defense concept for the region. 

"The Russians only respect strength and determination," said the Finnish Armed Forces' Deputy Chief of Staff Strategy to HNN's journalist Astri Edvardsen when she met him in Oslo in connection with the Arctic Security Conference. 

And jamming of GPS signals is now so frequent in Finnmark, Northern Norway, that national authorities no longer want to be notified. (Norwegian only) 

Close relations 

Researchers at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies believe the cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic is still limited despite significant focus and increased attention.

I met the UK's new MFA on his first visit to Norway, more specifically Bodø: 

"The UK’s relationship with Norway as a key ally in the defense of NATO’s northern flank has never been more important," David Lammy said, hosted by Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide (Labor). 

The flight from the North

The Finnmark County Government in Northern Norway will soon publish a new tax model for parts of the Arctic and the High North. 

“In a few months, we will have the answer to how much it will cost to stop the flight of people from Finnmark, Northern Norway,” Editor and Commentator Arne O. Holm writes in his weekly column. 

Read about this and more at High North News. Feel free to share the newsletter with others who have their hearts in the North. 

Best, Editor-in-Chief Trine Jonassen