Stig talks with the FDG two to three times a year. He would like them to come more often, and to have more direct contact with the scientists working at the IMR in general. According to Stig, sampling the otoliths and filling out the forms is quite straightforward, and does not demand a lot of re-organization. He has a large dock with a huge boat house where he can take out the otoliths and weigh and measure a sample of the catch without too much fuss.
Here, he can write down the information that the IMR asks for in the paper forms, such as the area where he fishes and what gear he uses. He explains that he finds it interesting to learn more about what scientists do, and he takes this as an opportunity for Helgeland, the geographical region in which he fishes, to get more attention on fisheries issues. Stig is
concerned with how factors other than fishing affect the fish stocks, and he mentions pollution and temperature. Stig is particularly interested in the coastal cod, which is considered a
threatened species. The day that I am visiting Haldorson it would have been perfect to go out fishing, since the weather is really nice. However, none of the vessels are fishing since the processing plants are closed. Stig’s gill nets are lying in the sun on his dock, neat and tidy, next to the boat. Hence, I do not get the chance to go out fishing with him, but he shows me his vessel and demonstrates what he does. So, I still have not had the chance to see how the fishers find the otolith; to observe the moment when the fish comes out of the sea, and how the fishers take the otolith out of its head.
Even though I did not observe this myself, Huse has told me that Haldorson delivers otolith samples and forms continuously. Back at the IMR, I find Stig’s schedules and
envelopes filled with otoliths from the coastal cod and NEA cod from the coast of Helgeland.
Figure 9: Map of Helgeland. Haldorson is located in Lovund, close to Træna (area 33), System 2 Statistical region, Coastal map 6: Nordland (IMR 2006)
I am getting impatient: I want to see the otolith and observe as a RF fisher collects it from its head, but despite visiting two Coastal RF vessels I have had no luck so far. It is as if nature itself is making sure that I cannot watch this: the lack of catch when I visited Oddson, and the weather conditions that prevented me from going to Lovund several times, and; when I finally got there the landing sites were closed. Uncertainty about the catch is intrinsic in fisheries, and this is also a challenge that the FDG scientists have to face when working with the fishers.
However, I am not giving up, because I am sure that the fishers do collect the otoliths from the fish heads. I have seen the proof myself at the IMR, where the bony structures are gathered. The lacking piece in the puzzle is the actual fish: I want to see the fish, which swims around with its birth certificate in its head, and I want to observe the fisher picking it out.
Now, I will see if my luck changes as I leave the coastal areas and follow the fish to the high seas. So, let us take a look at what goes on within the Offshore RF, before the otoliths again take me to the IMR.
Visiting the Offshore RF
In order to follow the practices of the Offshore RF, I must be prepared to be at sea for quite a
while, since their trips typically last four to five weeks before they change crew. However, I got the chance to take a ten-day trip on the Offshore RF vessel Geir, when it participated in a project with the Norwegian College of Fisheries Science, as described in chapter 3.
The MS Geir
A coastguard vessel, Chieftan, transports us from Tromsø to MS Geir’s location. It is a long journey which takes about 20 hours. It is like a miracle that we find the MS Geir since the sea is immense, it is pitch dark outside and the sun will not appear again for a couple of months.
Thanks to the GPS we do find them. Over the next ten days I learn a lot about what goes on onboard a seagoing vessel, as well as how they relate to the RF. The most important data from the Offshore RF is age and length data from cod and haddock.
MS Geir is registered in Ålesund, which is in the west of Norway (See Figure 10 below). In order to reach the fishing locations, the fishers travel all the way up the coast and then go towards Bjørnøya. MS Geir fishes in the North Sea, somewhere between Bjørnøya and Tromsø (see map below). This is far away from everything, and if something happens, they basically rely on themselves. They have their own medical equipment with them and the boat has a hospital cabin. This is the cabin I use during the trip. MS Geir only uses lines to fish, and targets different species, such as cod, Greenland halibut, haddock, wolfish, redfish and tusk, but the skipper consider the Greenland halibut and the cod as the most important ones.
Figure 10: Map of Norway and Svalbard (IMR 2006). During my fieldwork, we were fishing in areas 12 and 20.
System 2, statistical area. Ålesund, which is the hometown of the owners, is located in area 28.
The organization of the daily work onboard Geir
As mentioned above, I am doing fieldwork onboard MS Geir in combination with sampling for another project. Therefore, I spend a lot of time on the bridge together with the skipper.
Here, there are several cameras where we can watch what happens in different places on board MS Geir. My plan is to observe the fishers onboard and the knowledge production for the RF in between the shifts. Now, I will introduce the general context at MS Geir, before looking into the knowledge production for the RF, where I hope to see the otolith collection.
MS Geir looks impressive in the sea, like a floating 38 m-long factory. In total, they are thirteen men on MS Geir during this trip. The different tasks are divided between the fishers in each shift and there is a rotation so everybody gets to do everything. MS Geir can be divided into three work stations or posts for the fishers where they work in turn: the split, the trunk and the factory. These are all located on the main deck. Below, I will describe the organization of the boat and fishers as I follow the fish’s journey in the boat from when it comes out of the sea until it is frozen.
The split: This is the area where the lines are stored when they are not used for fishing.
Before letting the long lines into the water, each angle must be checked in the split. The fishers examine each hook, checking that that the metal is not bent and that the knot is intact.
Usually, there are two fishers on this task. It is a noisy place and the work is repetitative.
From here, the lines are sent on to the automatic angler machine, where squid, mackerel, or saithe is used as bait