newsofNorway

ISSN: 0028-9272
newsofNorway
Issued by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, 2720 34th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008-2714
Gone
fishin’
pages 6-9
news
Nobel prize for Carter /5
events
Norwegian Christmas /11
food
Crown Roast /10
no.
5/02
D e c e m b e r
Vol.59
newsofNorway / 5·02
In Brief...
World’s best cruise line
Norway’s famous coastal cruise line
“Hurtigruten”—descended from earlier
generations of coastal mail and freight
steamers—has recently been rated the
world’s finest cruise line by the readers
of Daily Telegraph. It is listed ahead of
Cunard and Carnival.
Increasing unemployment
Unemployment continues to increase in
Norway. According to new numbers
from the National Labor Office, around
80,000 Norwegians are now without a
job. This represents an estimated 3.3 per
cent of the total workforce.
Royal baby
The Royal Palace has announced that
newlyweds Princess Märtha Louise and
her husband, Ari Behn, are expecting
their first child next spring. The couple
was married last May.
FIFA #28
Recent successes by Norway’s national
soccer team have helped the squad begin
a climb back up the rankings published
by the international FIFA. The new listing released Wednesday has Norway
advancing 10 spots to hold 28th place in
the FIFA rankings.
Oil and gas ventures
Norway’s largest oil and gas group
Statoil recently bought access to the US
natural gas market from the El Paso
Corporation for $210 million. The purchase is linked to Norwegian plans for
expanding exports of natural gas.
Sissel sells
Norwegian songbird Sissel recently
released her first CD in the U.S., and the
response has been overwhelming. With
50.000 copies sold the first month,
Sissel topped several sales charts.
Keiko relocated
World famous Keiko the Whale has
been moved from Skaalvikfjorden to
new quarters in Taknes Bay, where he
will spend the winter. The move went
well, and Keiko appears to be in very
good shape.
Front cover:
At the Pan Fish salmon farm outside Ålesund on Norway’s
West Coast, Kurt Myrvang shows off one of many thousand ready-to-harvest fish. Although of excellent quality,
the fish is not likely to end up on an American dinner plate.
Turn to page 6 for the full story.
2
news
Stoltenberg secures Labor Party leadership
Former Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg
made a political comeback on Sunday
when he secured the leadership of the
Norwegian Labor Party. His main challenge now is restoring the party to its former glory.
On November 10, after years of being number
two in the party after Torbjørn Jagland, Jens
Stoltenberg could finally stand on the podium
of the party’s National Convention to hold his
acceptance speech as new party leader.
“I look forward to working with all of
you,” he told the convention after being elected. “The Labor Party is going to be a party
with open debates, a party where opinions are
shared and where we’ll develop new strate-
gies. The Labor Party is not going to be a
party suffering from conflict, positioning and
solo acts by its leaders.”
The new leader was, as expected, unanimously elected by the convention, as was the
new line-up for the party’s central committee.
The latest polls show that the Labor Party
is Norway’s second largest party. On top of
the list lies the right-wing Progress Party with
32.5 per cent of the votes. For Jens
Stoltenberg, the major task ahead is to reverse
the downward spiral the party has experienced
since Gro Harlem Brundtland resigned as
party leader in 1996.
”Our goal is to become the biggest party in
Norway,” Stoltenberg told Norwegian internet
newspaper Nettavisen.
Sailor’s song
A spectacular sight greeted Norfolk residents and visitors on a cold day early in
November. And the tall-rigged Statsraad
Lehmkuhl, the world’s largest three-masted barque, could be heard even before she
was seen.
home town of Bergen does not make him any
less proud of the special place the ship holds
in Norwegian naval history.
Built in 1914, the 300 ft ship now offers
short sailing cruises for the general public
during most of the year. For several months
each year, however, the Norwegian Navy
charters the boat to train a new class of cadets.
After the weekend in Norfolk, the ship set sail
for its return to Norway via the Belgian port
of Brest.
“There wasn’t a dry eye among us military
guys when she arrived in the manner she did,”
says Chief Warrant Officer Snorre Waage of
the Office of the Defense Attaché at the Royal
Norwegian Embassy in Washington.
The tearful arrival was due to the ship’s
singing crew. As a special salute to the people of Norfolk, the young men and women
onboard the school ship sang the traditional sailors’ shanties from high on the masts,
a gesture that was highly appreciated by
residents and visitors alike.
Arriving from a cruise in the Carribean,
the crew looked suntanned and eager to
drop anchor in an American port. 80 young
cadettes and cadets from the Norwegian
Naval Academy are in school at the tall ship
to get used to sailing the seas.
“It may seem odd that the Norwegian
Navy chooses to use an old sailing ship to
train new generations of sailors in this technologically advanced age,” says Assistant
Defence Attaché Tom Egil Lilletvedt at the
Norwegian Embassy. “But we find that
going to sea is still about fighting the elements and developing a sense of unity and
cameraderie. Statsraad Lehmkuhl is perfect
for that purpose.”
Captain Lilletvedt is thrilled that he was
able to show the ship to some of his
American naval counterparts.
“We had 200 guests come aboard for a
very successful reception,” he said; “and
we were even more impressed to see more
than a thousand people, young and old, visiting us on the weekend the ship was open
Entering Norfolk harbor, the crew of Statsraad Lehmkuhl greetfor public inspection.”
ed their hosts with traditional shanties from the masts.
The fact that the ship has its home in his PHOTO: TOM EGIL LILLETVEDT
news
newsofNorway / 5·02
In Brief...
Another female bishop
Pastor Laila Riksaasen Dahl has been
appointed new bishop of the Tunsberg
bishopric. She is the second woman
elected bishop in the Church of Norway.
The country’s first female bishop,
Rosemarie Køhn, was appointed nearly
ten years ago.
Major cutbacks for SAS
SAS is ready to cut another 2,700 jobs.
This comes on top of the 3,500 jobs
company officials announced it would
cut earlier this year. The head of SAS,
Jørgen Lindegaard, is now meeting with
the board to make preparations for the
massive cutbacks.
Norway gives a greater proportion of its annual income on development aid than any other country. Hilde Frafjord
Johnson, Norway’s Minister of International Development, wants to give even more. PHOTO: KNUT FJELDSTAD/SCANPIX
Healing the world
Ridding the world of poverty is no small
task. For Hilde Frafjord Johnson,
Norway’s Minister of International
Development, it overshadows all other
objectives. Visiting Washington in early
October, she met with Treasury Secretary
Paul O’Neill, among others, to lay the
groundwork.
Norway is one of the richest nations in the
world. For Ms. Johnson, this implies that
Norwegians also have special responsibilities
for helping rid the world of poverty.
According to the UN, there are some 1.5 billion people in the world living in poverty, and
the number could rise to 1.9 billion by 2015.
Ms. Johnson wants to reverse this development.
Said the Norwegian Minister of
Development: “The main objectives going
forward are now in place in our international
development policy: to reduce the number of
poor in the world by 2015 by half; to invest in
people through new initiatives in education
and health; and to provide more resources for
debt relief for the poorest countries worldwide.”
Norway currently sets aside 0.92 per cent
of its Gross Domestic Product toward international development aid. If things go as
planned, this number will rise to one per cent
of GDP by 2006. Only a short list of
nations—among them Denmark and the
Netherlands—have joined Norway in devoting such percentages of their GDP on development aid.
Ms. Johnson and her colleagues from likeminded countries are now pushing for a shift
in development approaches.
“We need to move away from donor-driven development projects and move towards
approaches that will put the developing coun-
tries themselves in the driver’s seat,” she says.
“But this will require even stronger collaborative efforts on the part of donor countries.”
One of the new collaborative initiatives is
the Millennium Challenge Account. President
Bush has proposed to increase America’s
development assistance budget by some $10
billion over a three-year period—representing
an increase in America’s development assistance aid of 50 percent. The funds will be
administered through the Millennium
Challenge Account.
“The new U.S. commitment to development aid through the Millennium Challenge
Account is highly welcome,” said Ms.
Johnson following her talks in Washington
with high-ranking officials, including
Secretary of Treasury Paul O’Neill.
During her visit in the U.S., Ms. Johnson
also attended the meetings of the World Bank
and the IMF held in Washington in
September, having opportunities for talks
with heads of both organizations. The meetings provided Norway’s Minister of
Development with important opportunities to
promote Norway’s development aid objectives of eradicating poverty and improving
education systems.
The World Bank has already announced
the establishment of a fund to aid countries
that are committed to improving their education systems. So far, 18 countries have been
approved for participation in the project, but it
is not yet clear how much money the fund will
distribute. Norway’s contribution to the fund
has not yet been determined, but the
Norwegian government has plans in place to
spend 15 per cent of its annual development
aid budget on education by the year 2005. At
present the percentage for education is 9.
Flounders can provide new antibiotics
Norwegians have always associated fish
with good health, and now they may
have a new reason. Researchers have
discovered that the red-spotted plaice is
coated with a bacteria-killing layer of
slime that may eventually cure the common cold.
Government to propose expanding
territorial waters
The Norwegian government will shortly
present a proposal to the Storting that
the parliament approve an expansion of
Norway’s territorial waters from 4 to 12
nautical miles. The plan is intended to
improve the country’s control of coastal
shipping traffic and protection for the
environment.
MTV prize to Röyksopp
Norwegian duo Röyksopp was the opening act at the MTV Music Awards in
Barcelona on November 14. The duo
was nominated for four prizes, and
brougt home the prize for “Best Video”
with the new single Remind Me.
Norwegian rower reaches South
America
The Norwegian doctor Stein Hoff
reached land in French Guyana on
November 14, becoming the first person
to have rowed from Europe to South
America. It took Hoff 96 days, 12 hours
and 45 minutes to complete the 6850 km
trip across the Atlantic.
Not only games and TV
For years we have heard and said that
children nowadays do nothing but play
electronic games and watch TV. Not so,
according to Aftenposten. The sale of
children's books has never been higher,
and children flock to the theatres and wait
in line for entering the music schools.
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news
Norway allows non-polluting gas plants
The Norwegian government has proposed
allowing natural gas-fired power plants
from the year 2006 on. The Minister for Oil
and Energy, Einar Steensnæs, stresses that
the new generating plants will not negatively affect the environment.
“This is a historic effort to achieve an important technological breakthrough, one that will
help us meet the climate-related challenges
we are facing,” Mr. Steensnæs said.
The White Paper on Environmentally
Friendly Use of Natural Gas-Fired Power
Plants From 2006 was presented on
November 1. In the report the Government
also proposes a policy on increased domestic
use of natural gas, increased utilization of
hydrogen, provisions for transfer of electricity from the mainland to installations on the
Norwegian continental shelf, and a policy on
trade in so-called “green certificate” energy.
“Increased efforts to enhance gas-fired
power plants with CO2 capture and storage
capabilities is the main element in the
Government’s energy policy presented in the
White Paper on domestic use of natural gas,”
Mr. Steensnæs said.
There is currently an increasing interest
throughout Europe in the development of
“green certificate markets” for trading renew-
able electric energy. In proposing that Norway
now get ready to contribute to the development of such international markets, the government is nevertheless determined to give
priority consideration to environmental concerns, security and continuity of supply, and
the responsible management of natural
resources in Norway.
“We should aim at becoming a participant
in an internationally mandated certificate
market for green electricity,” Mr. Steensnæs
said, “ and I believe that such a system for
international certificate trade will stimulate an
efficient development of electric power based
on renewable energy sources within Europe.”
War hero Sønsteby honored
The United States is turning out to be a second homeland for famed Norwegian war
hero Gunnar Sønsteby. In late September,
the 84-year-young Sønsteby was back
again, this time to receive the prestigious
National Freedom Award from the
Association of Former Intelligence Officers
(AFIO).
“I was expecting maybe two or three people
to come to my hotel room to give me this
award,” Mr. Sønsteby told a ballroom filled
with high-ranking former intelligence officers
at the Army Navy Club in Washington, DC.
“Seeing so many people here today humbles
me. It really does.”
The award is the latest of many honors
given one of the most famous figures from the
Norwegian resistance movement during
World War Two. Born in 1918, Sønsteby
joined the national defense forces on April 10,
1940 - one day after Nazi Germany invaded
the country. His work for the resistance movement and his lifelong career of promoting
freedom and liberty has made him one of the
most decorated freedom fighters in Norway.
Kenneth Michael “Mike” Absher,
Chairman of the Chapter Presidents’ Council
at AFIO, hosted the event in Washington. In
his welcoming remarks, he said: ”Let this
occasion remind us of how our foreign allies
were there for us, just as we have been there
for them” He then brought the former CIA
deputy head, Admiral William O. Studeman,
to the podium to present the award to Mr.
Sønsteby.
“Few people can be said to have written
the book on resistance and sabotage, but Mr.
Sønsteby surely did,” Admiral Studeman said.
The youthful honoree - who has given
more than 200 speeches in the United States
since the war ended in 1945 - seized the
opportunity of his acceptance speech to talk
about the present state of affairs:
4
Gunnar Sønsteby talks about his book, “Report from No. 24” with the Norwegian Ambassador’s wife, Mrs. Ellen Vollebaek.
“I hope my experience can remind people
why it is necessary to fight terrorism,” he
said. “Anyone who says that the measures
being taken now in the war against terrorism
are unnecessary has forgotten what happened
during World War Two.”
Sønsteby, often referred to by his wartime
nickname “Kjakan”, started out the war by
publishing the illegal newspaper Vi vil oss et
land (We want us a land). Gaining a reputation as a leader in the resistance, he soon
became one of the most important contacts for
the Allies. For the first few years he made
numerous dangerous journeys back and forth
to Sweden, a neutral country during the war.
In 1943 he joined Kompani Linge, one of the
legendary resistance groups, and soon after
that he seized leadership of the Oslo Group.
For more than four years Sønsteby was
one of the top names on the Gestapo’s Most
Wanted list. But capturing this Norwegian
proved impossible for the Germans Sønsteby did his undercover work using more
than 30 different identities.
“My greatest advantage was that my face
is so normal,” he said. “I’m as ordinary as
they come. There’s nothing about my looks
that anyone would ever remember,” he
laughed.
Having survived the war, Sønsteby decided that something so terrible as this war
should never happen again. And 60 years
later, “Kjakan” is still going strong delivering
his message to anyone who cares to listen.
“And I will continue to do that as long as
I’m alive and can talk about what I feel is
important. The historians can do the analysis,
but I was actually there,” he concluded.
news
newsofNorway / 5·02
Troubled Q3 for
the Oslo Stock
Exchange
September 30 marked the last day of a
troubled third quarter that sent the Oslo
Stock Exchange’s market index down a
whopping 26 per cent. This was the second
largest fall in the history of the index,
exceeded only by the crisis that followed
the fall of the East Asia Tigers in 1998.
President Jimmy Carter celebrated his Nobel Peace Prize together with his fellow citizens of Plains, GA. The town was
filled with people wanting to congratulate the former president on his prestigious award. PHOTO: AP/JOHN BAZEMORE
Peace Prize to Carter
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has
awarded the the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize to
former president Jimmy Carter for his lifelong efforts to find peaceful solutions to
international conflicts.
In its statement on the choice of Mr. Carter,
the Nobel Committee writes: “During his
presidency, 1977-1981, Carter’s mediation
was a vital contribution to the Camp David
Accords between Israel and Egypt, in itself a
great enough achievement to qualify for the
Nobel Peace Prize.”
Mr. Carter himself had no idea he would
be selected for the prize.
“I had a call around 4:30 this morning
from the Nobel Committee,” Mr. Carter told
CNN right after the news was announced on
October 11. “I am very grateful for being chosen. The Nobel Peace Prize makes people
aware of human rights and of efforts to find
peaceful solutions.”
He added that he thinks the work the
Carter Center has undertaken over the past 20
years has been his greatest achievement.
Alan Lichtman, a presidential historian,
told CNN that he had expected Carter to
receive the prize:
“This doesn’t surprise me at all,” he said.
“I think it could have been awarded at any
time since his presidency ended because of
the things he did in foreign policy while president,” he said.
James Earl Carter, Jr. was born in 1924 in
Plains, Georgia. He grew up with strong interests and aspirations in politics and world
affairs. After seven years of service in the US
Navy and several years of peanut farming and
involvement in local politics in his hometown
of Plains, Mr. Carter became state senator in
1962. Nine years later he was elected governor of Georgia. He won the Democratic nomination for president in 1976 and defeated
Republican Gerald Ford in a tight race.
Mr. Carter was sworn in as the 39th president of the United States in 1977. During his
four years in office, he was faced with serious
energy shortages and concerns about improving the environment. To increase the government’s role in human and social services, he
created the new Department of Education,
bolstered the Social Security system, and
appointed record numbers of women, blacks,
and Hispanics to government jobs. The foreign policy of the Carter administration was
focused on championing human rights around
the world and on the special efforts by Mr.
Carter to secure a peace treaty between Israel
and Egypt.
When his term in the White House ended,
Mr. Carter was quick to build new platforms
from which to spread his message of peace
building and human rights. The Carter Center
was dedicated in 1986 and his library was
opened for researchers the following year.
The Center describes itself as “guided by a
fundamental commitment to human rights
and the alleviation of human suffering” in its
efforts “to prevent and resolve conflicts,
enhance freedom and democracy, and
improve health.”
Mr. Carter still takes a great deal of interest in the foreign policy of the United States.
In a recent article in the Washington Post, he
expressed the following concerns about a
potential US-led attack on Iraq: “It is crucial
that the historical and well-founded American
commitments prevail: to peace, justice,
human rights, the environment and international cooperation,” Mr. Carter wrote.
The index started the quarter at 149.8 points
and closed at 110 points—a decline of 26
percent for the third quarter.
Over all, the month of September 2002
was the sixth worst month over the past
twenty years for the Oslo Stock Exchange.
Market values lost during the month are estimated at over $13 billion.
Most of the causes for the massive fall in
the Norwegian stock market lie outside the
country’s borders. The controversial Enron
scandal, worldwide profit declines, falling
revenues along with the possibility of a U.S
war against Iraq are all reasons why the Oslo
stock index has plummeted. Many
Norwegian companies have suffered serious
losses in market value, among them the oil
service company Stolt Offshore, which saw a
23 percent drop in its stocks’ value.
No help from oil
With international oil prices now skyrocketing, one would have thought that the stock
prices of Norwegian oil companies would be
rising accordingly. Not so. Norwegian industrial giant Norsk Hydro is one of many companies facing the negative pressures in the
market.
Reflecting on the puzzling market, one
stockbroker told Norwegian financial newspaper Dagens Næringsliv: “Hydro is doing
well and oil prices are at an all time high.
However, in this business people do not pay
attention to that. In this business we look at
the charts, and the Hydro charts predict a
decrease in stock value for Hydro. So, stock
brokers advise their clients to sell and ignore
the fact that the company is doing well and
that oil prices are sky high.”
New quarter, new hopes
With October 1 a new quarter was kicked off
at the Oslo Stock Exchange. A possible deal
between Iraq and the United Nations eased
the fear of war and helped lure bargain-hungry investors back into the market. The news
concerning Iraq, along with a smattering of
encouraging comments by Wall Street investment companies, helped the still wary Oslo
Stock Exchange get back on track. The first
day of the fourth quarter of 2002 ended with
an increase of 0.2 percent in the overall value
of the companies listed.
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feature
NORWEGIAN SALMON:
Fresh from
the fjords
A worker at the Pan Fish processing factory outside Ålesund prepares the freshly filleted salmon for one of many steps on its way to market. This machine takes out any remaining
bones of the fillets. After this stage, the fillets will go through a classifier to determine the color of the meat. The best-colored fish is sent toupmarket smoke-houses in Europe.
O S L O /Å L E S U N D /B O S T O N , M S / M C L E A N , V A / W A S H I N G T O N , D C :
Farmed Atlantic salmon from Norway was once considered the next ”big thing” for the Norwegian fishing industry.
With the advent of salmon farms came the hope that Norwegian salmon would soon be the pride and joy of dinner
menus all over the world. Today, two decades later, Norway’s salmon producers are facing tough competition in
America from Chilean and domestic producers. News of Norway has investigated how Norway can get back on the
menus of salmon-loving America.
“
One thing many people don’t know about salmon,” Dag Ryste
explains, “is that they get seasick in bad weather.” Ryste, a regional manager at a major seafood producer named Pan Fish has his
boat running the waves, one motor dead. Out here—on a fjord just outside the Norwegian west-coast town of Ålesund—Mother Nature
meets us with clear-blue water and high snow-covered mountains.
The salmon farm we are looking for holds three of the 848 licenses
issued for farm-producing salmon and trout in Norway. Pan Fish is a
major player in the game, and Norway is one of the major global players in the production and export of farmed seafood. In fact, Norway is
the world’s biggest producer of Atlantic salmon—putting out twice the
production of runner-up Chile. In 2001, Norway produced 415,000
tons of salmon; almost three times as much as it marketed a decade
ago.
Much of the Norwegian salmon production goes to the United
States—but not as much as Norwegians had hoped. A number of factors have contributed to Norwegian salmon being looked upon as a luxury item in the United States—something reserved for fine restaurants
and rich celebrities. News of Norway recently traveled to Oslo, Ålesund and Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington, DC, to find an
answer to the following question: If Norwegian salmon is as good as
they say, how come you can’t find any in restaurants and supermarkets
all across the United States?
Our search for an answer began at a computer-run salmon farm outside Ålesund, Norway. Securely anchored to the seabed—presumably
6
to prevent seasickness in the fish—the farm’s nets floated unnoticed
amidst the towering mountains. This farm consisted of three nets and a
small hut. The hut, the heart of the operation, contained fish-food and
the technology needed to control its distribution.
“There are sensors built into the nets that will measure how hungry
the fish is. If the food we give them is eaten quickly, we know they are
hungry, so we feed them more. But if they eat slowly, we feed them
less. They get exactly as much as they want, and when they want it,”
says Kurt Myrvang, who overlooks the farm.
Most of the fish inside these nets are ready to be harvested. They
are close to two years of age and have already gained a weight of
around five kilograms (about 10 lbs.). The salmon is processed on land
at a processing facility only minutes away from the nets. Once
processed, they are categorized according to color and shipped to different markets worldwide.
One of these markets is the United States, and one of the most
important ports of entry in the US is Boston, MA. Here, the smell of
fish is in the air, in the feel, even in the names of the restaurants. But
Norwegian salmon is hard to find.
“I don’t have any Norwegian salmon right now,” says the man
behind the counter at Frank Giuffre & Son’s Fish Market on the North
Shore in Boston. “Sometimes I get it, and my customers like it because
it is fatter, and that adds to the flavor,” he says. But on this fall day in
October he was one of many fish dealers unable to offer anybody a
decent piece of Norwegian salmon. At the Boston Fish market, famous
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newsofNorway / 5·02
for its long row of fish-stalls displaying everything from
tuna steaks to raw oysters, Norwegian salmon was hard to
find. All the salmon at this market, on this day, was
Chilean or Canadian. One stall owner said: “We never
take in Norwegian salmon any more. It’s too expensive.”
At that same moment, in a warehouse a little further
south in Boston, there were some 50 boxes of fresh fillets
of Norwegian salmon waiting for a customer. The boxes
had been there for five days already, and today was Friday.
“We hope to get something like $3.20 per pound for
this salmon,” says Seth Kamich, a salesman at Pan Fish in
Boston. “And we hope to sell it by Monday, though the
price is a dollar more than they pay for Chilean salmon.”
T
he situation in Boston illustrates a couple of points:
first, Norwegian salmon is hard to sell in the United
States; second, the big challenger is Chile.
In the late 1980s, when the salmon-farming industry
was just about to take off in Norway, trade relations across
the Atlantic were quite relaxed on export-import issues.
However, in 1991 the United States introduced an import
tariff on imports to secure a place for its domestic salmon
Sous chefs Marc Kennedy (left) and Todd Peginsky are happy to try new raw materials for their seafood
industry. A standard price was set and anything below this restaurant. “But we’ve never been offered Norwegian salmon,” Kennedy says.
was considered “dumping.” For Norwegian salmon, the
additional cost of shipping across the Atlantic and new export taxes at US was without a doubt the most important market for Norwegian
salmon prior to the introduction of the tariffs. The United States is
home dealt a massive blow to salmon exports to the United States.
“We dislike the tariffs and we disagree with the notion that dump- obviously the world’s largest and fastest growing market for farmed
ing is selling anything below a set price,” says Svein Ludvigsen, the Atlantic salmon, growing even now at an estimated 20 per cent for the
year 2002.”
Norwegian Minister of Fisheries.
The anti-dumping tariffs of the United States not only affect the
Ludvigsen is faced with similar problems in relation to the
European Union—a market in which Norwegian salmon also is priced import of whole, fresh salmon. There’s much more to salmon than that.
higher than EU-produced fish because of high import taxes. The EU, While Norway’s export of whole fresh salmon to the US was worth
of course, is potentially a much more important market for Norway around 25 million NOK ($3,3 million) between January and
than is the United States. The value of annual Norwegian salmon September 2002, the export of salmon fillets and smoked salmon—
exports to the seven biggest importers in the EU region is more which are not affected by the tariffs—was almost then times that much
than 5.7 billion NOK (equal to $760 million). In comparison, (239 million NOK, or $32 million).
exports to the US in 2001 were worth only
“Around 40 per cent of all
some 459 million NOK ($61 million).
our smoked salmon exports go
So, when the question is posed why to the United States—and the
we don’t see more Norwegian
(Please turn over)
salmon in the United States,
how exactly do the tariffs
affect the answer?
”The effect of the tariffs—which now amounts to
some 26 per cent for most companies—is that any number of
Norwegian
companies,
beginning in 1991, stopped
exporting whole fresh
salmon to the United
States,” says Tore Arildsen,
head of the Norwegian
Seafood Export Council. ”The
The production cycle: Every aspect of the salmon’s life
is carefully managed to ensure a great product.
ILLUSTRATION: THE NORWEGIAN SEAFOOD EXPORT COUNCIL.
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newsofNorway / 5·02
feature
numbers have been increasing rapidly in 2001 and 2002,” Mr. Arildsen
says.
So, salmon exports not affected by the tariffs are imported to the
United States ten times more than salmon products affected by the
taxes. Then why all the fuss?
“It is a matter of principle,” Minister Ludvigsen says. “ Who knows
what would have developed if the import taxes had not been imposed
ten years ago. The tariffs may not add up to very much in the economic situation right now, but they do give grounds for a certain unpleasantness in our trade relations,” he continues.
M
ost modern families want their dinners to be quick to fix. That
is why fillets are about to take over—if not completely dominate the salmon market. And no one knows fillets like Chile.
In 2001, a staggering 81 per cent of all fresh salmon fillets brought into
the United States came from this Latin-American country. Norway’s
piece of the pie was a little more than 2,000 tons of fillets—a measly
2.6 per cent of the total imports.
“Our main challenge now is to increase the distribution of
Norwegian salmon within the food service sector,” says Tore Arildsen.
“Two-thirds of all the seafood sold in the United States pass through
this sector, so that is where we need to focus our attention.”
He admits that Norway has a less favorable position in the US market than that of Chile or the US domestic producers.
“Because of the relatively high price of Norwegian salmon, and
because of the current strength in the exchange rates of our currency,
our most important challenge right now is to identify the niches where
people are willing to pay a bit more for Norwegian salmon,” he says.
According to souse chefs Marc Kennedy and Todd Peginsky at the
McCormick & Schmick’s
seafood restaurant in McLean, VA, most customers don’t worry too
much about the price as long as they get a superior product.
“The price is not the issue if it’s a matter of paying a dollar extra
per pound of salmon. Our customers appreciate the quality, then they
pay the price,” says Kennedy. He works for a chain of 60 restaurants
across the country that serves two different dishes with salmon as the
main ingredient. Kennedy is very picky when it comes to quality.
“Chilean salmon is too inconsistent,” he says, “so we never buy
that. Almost all our salmon comes from Maine or Alaska.”
Not that he would mind serving salmon coming from across the
Atlantic.
“If you bring me a superior product, I’ll buy it. But no one has ever
come up to me to sell Norwegian salmon. So I’ve never served it. I’ve
heard it’s good, though,” he says.
For William B. Folsom, formerly of the National Marine Fisheries
Service, this is the core of the issue:
“The tariffs were introduced ten years ago. Norway has had a great
opportunity to sell its salmon to the United States—it just has to understand the market. It does no good complaining about decade-old taxes.
What the Norwegian salmon exporters need to do now is to make a
marketing effort that will give people greater access to the product.”
Setting marketing and politics aside, back in Ålesund, Dag Ryste is
giving a tour of the processing factory located close to the city.
“The salmon is first gutted by a machine, and then it comes into this
Clockwise, from top left: A salesman at the fish market in Boston has never sold Norwegian salmon. “It’s too expensive,” he says; These salmon swimming in the tanks at the fish
farm in Ålesund weigh about 10 lbs, and will soon be shipped for processing; Ålesund has a magnificent aquarium, boasting Atlantic fish in all its shapes and colors; Linda
Gjødingseter makes sure the Salmon House shop at Oslo Airport never runs out of smoked Norwegian salmon.
8
feature
newsofNorway / 5·02
hall,” he explains.
The hall is the size of an airport hangar. The workers, approximately 25 in number, are all wearing protective plastic suits and
head gear in order to prevent the fish from being contaminated
and the workers from getting spillage all over their clothes. They
do not seem distracted by the sweet smell of freshly smoked
salmon filling the room—and the earphones they wear seem to
make them immune to distractions of other kinds as well.
T
he salmon’s first stop is a small table where nimble and
experienced hands chop off the heads and send the fish
down an assembly line to a machine that carefully cuts the
flesh from the bones. There are two exits from the machine – one
for fillets, the other for heads and bones.
“We use the leftovers in the production of fish oil and fish
flour, which are the key ingredients in the food we give the
salmon,” Mr. Ryste says with a smile. “So you may say we’re
good at recycling.”
From the fillet-making machine the fish is sent down an
assembly line where workers trim the fillets into consumptionready portions. The pace is fast, each worker focused. In the
space of a year, 35,000 tons of salmon fillets are sent down this
line. After the trimming, fillet portions are arranged so they can
be sent through a machine that takes away any bones remaining Regional Manager Dag Ryste at major Norwegian salmon producer Pan Fish proudly shows off
one of the company’s end products - cold-smoked Norwegian salmon.
within the flesh. Boneless and neat looking, the fillets now head
“A few of the salmon in here today have already started the process.
for the most impressive of all the machines—the classifier.
“It’s impossible to tell when the fish is still alive what color its flesh They’ll all go to the freezer market,” Mr. Ryste says with a disappointwill have,” Mr Ryste says. “And it would be very difficult for human ed shake of the head.
Approximately 1500 tons of frozen salmon fillets from Norway will
eyes to determine its color after the fish has been filleted. So we send
have been exported to the US market during 2002—around half the
the fish through a color scanner.”
Norwegian exports of fresh fillets. The export prices for both frozen
When it comes to salmon, color is all-important.
“The best-colored fish—the fish with the reddest color—will be and fresh fillets have stabilized during the last year. Frozen salmon
sent to smoke-houses abroad, from where it goes to customers in the now brings a bit more per kilogram – in October 2002 the export price
high-end market. The fish with the poorest color will be frozen—the of a kilo of frozen salmon fillet was around $3.30, while a kilo of fresh
salmon loses much of its color when frozen, anyway, so this is a good fillet brought $3.10. In comparison, the figures in October 2000 were
solution. And the color makes no difference in the taste,” Mr. Ryste $4.80 per kilo of frozen fillet and 3.70 per kilo of fresh fillet.
The tough market, combined with the rising value of the Norwegian
assures us.
So, whether or not it tastes any different, color is the most impor- krone, has given companies like Pan Fish a double blow. On
tant factor in salmon production. And color comes from the food the November 15, 2002, the value of the Pan Fish stock fell to a new low
of 0.99 kroner. Since the same date two years ago, the stock has plumfish eats.
“There are two ways we can add color to the meat. Both are more meted 97.69 per cent. Other seafood companies are facing the same
or less artificial, but the solution we have chosen is to use natural sub- problems. Fjord Seafood fell 94.18 per cent during the same period.
stances that are similar to those the fish would eat in the wild,” Mr. The Lerøy Seafood Group, another big player in Norway, was first listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in June 2002. Since then, the value of
Ryste says.
Timing is an all-important element when it comes to the color of the its shares has fallen over 40 per cent.
The only way from here, it
meat. The salmon is a very
seems, is up. At a seminar in
special fish in that it always
(Salmo salar)
Tromsø in November, direcreturns to its birthplace to
tor Jan Trollvik of the
mate. And once it starts headNorwegian Seafood Export
ing back to the river where it
Council stated that the road
was born, it stops eating. The
ahead should be traveled with
same thing happens to farmed
a carefully developed strategy
salmon – once it gets ready to
in facing tough new competireproduce, it will stop eating.
tion from countries like Chile
The minute it seizes to eat, the
and China.
color within its flesh will start
An anadromous fish, the Atlantic salmon
“My message is this,” he
Size: Up to 150 cm.
to move out toward its skin.
migrates into freshwater to spawn but othertold
representatives of the
Weight: Up to 35 kg.
The salmon undergoes maswise lives in the sea. The eggs hatch in
Norwegian seafood compaUse: Sold fresh, frozen, in fillets, April, and the salmon fry stay in the river for
sive changes once it gets ready
a few years until it leaves for the sea. The
nies, “start focusing on prodsmoked and cured.
to reproduce. The whole fish
adult salmon grows rapidly, and after two to
ucts of high quality that will
Nutritional
value:
Contains
omegachanges: its proportions,
four years in the sea it returns to its river of
birth to spawn.
travel well as a fresh product.
3 fat acids; rich on Vit. A and D.
shape and color. What was a
There’s more money in the
silver-colored, hydro-dynamically shaped fish in salt water now changes into a creature with a market for fresh fish than for frozen fish, so we must dedicate ourcurved mouth, a hunchbacked and with reddish skin. And since it does- selves to this segment.”
“We can’t compete with countries like China when it comes to
n’t eat while undergoing this change, the coloration that produces the
change in its skin comes from its flesh. A salmon that is traveling in a price, but we can compete with anybody when it comes to quality, stariver, ready to mate, will have little color in its meat. For any salmon bility and continuity of supply,” he concluded.
There might still be hope for a slightly seasick industry.
farmer, avoiding this is of the outmost importance.
Atlantic salmon
9
newsofNorway / 5·02
culture
Bringing Norwegian culture to the Capital
“Norwegian Christmas at Union Station”
has become an annual tradition in
Washington D.C. Every year since 1997,
this month-long celebration of contemporary and traditional Norwegian culture has
been presented at various venues throughout the nation’s capital.
This year’s festival includes concerts,
exhibits of contemporary Norwegian furniture designs, Christmas bazaars, workshops,
an information booth, and of course the traditional model train—always a favorite part of
the Norwegian Christmas at Union Station.
“I believe this year’s event offers something for everyone,” Norway’s Ambassador to
the United States, Knut Vollebaek, says to
NoN. “We have chosen to give the American
public a taste of both contemporary and traditional aspects of Norwegian culture.”
Norway Says is the name of a contemporary design collective consisting of five furniture designers and architects committed to
placing Norway’s design reputation back in
the limelight. Norway Says is expected to be
one of this year’s major highlights. “I am
looking forward to the opening of the exhibit
on November 24, when Her Royal Highness
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway will
be present to introduce Norway Says,” states
Ambassador Vollebaek.
The traditional Norwegian Christmas tree,
which is a gift from the city of Oslo to the
City of Washington, will literally be another
bright event. This year’s tree-lighting ceremony is scheduled for December 5 and will
feature popular writer and radio celebrity
Garrison Keillor.
“The tree is an annual symbol of the close
relationship between our two peoples and a
thank-you for the great assistance the U.S.
offered Norway through the Marshall Plan in
rebuilding our country after World War II”,”
Ambassador Vollebaek added.
“This year also marks the 150th anniversary of Norway’s famous violin virtuoso Ole
Bull’s attempt to establish a Norwegian
colony in Potter County, PA. Mr. Bull, a
native of Bergen, Norway, is considered one
of the foremost violinists of all times, and we
have chosen to honor him with a special event
at this year’s Norwegian Christmas at Union
Station,” Vollebaek says.
In Ole Bull’s honor the acclaimed
Norwegian actress and movie director Liv
Ullmann will be telling the story of the artist’s
life and adventures while Bull’s own music is
being performed by the renowned Norwegian
duo of violinist Arve Tellefsen and pianistaccompanist Håvard Gimse. The presentation
of “Norway’s 19th Century Paganini” will be
held at the Carmichael Auditorium at the
ational Museum of American History on
November 21.
For those interested in meeting some of
the future Ole Bulls of Norway, the Embassy
is serving up several interesting opportunities.
On December 7, Julie and David Coucheron
will perform at the Kennedy Center in
Washington, DC. The Coucheron siblings,
who are currently studying in the United
States, are among the most promising
younger classical performers in Norway.
Their debut CD released recently has received
rave reviews in Norway. Then for the people
who are more tuned-in to contemporary musical beats and sounds, the “Out of the
Norwegian Woods” concert at The Black Cat
in northwestern Washington, DC, will feature
some of the best among the younger-age
bands and performers on Norway’s rock and
blues scene.
The complete program for this year’s
“Norwegian Christmas at Union Station” festival is listed under “Events” in the current
issue of News of Norway. It is available also
on the Internet at www.norway.org.
FOOD:
Scandinavian Crown Roast
Serves 8
1 crown roast of lamb (16 ribs)
1 lb. ground lamb
1 cup minced green onion
1-1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Oil
1 cup grated carrot
1 minced clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon (each) crushed bay
leaf, marjoram and coarsely
ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
10
2 cups cooked rice
1-1/2 cups shredded Jarlsberg
cheese
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
2 tablespoons sherry
P
reheat oven to 325 degrees. Cover top of ribs with foil to prevent burning. Place roast on rack in a shallow roasting pan and
season with salt and pepper. In skillet, brown the ground lamb
in oil, stirring to break into bits. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic.
Cook for several minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Blend in
the remaining ingredients.
Roast lamb for 1 hour 45 minutes for medium roast (internal temperature about 165 degrees) or 2 hours 15 minutes for well done (180
degrees), basting occasionally. To serve, transfer to platter. Reheat
rice mixture and mound in center of crown. Garnish with assorted
fresh vegetable morsels, if desired.
Source: The Burrell Group, Ltd.
events
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events
calendarofe
Ole Bull – Norway’s 19th Century Paganini
Liv Ullmann, Arve Tellefsen and Håvard Gimse celebrate a violin legend.
When: 7:30 pm, November 21
Where: Carmichael Aud., National Museum of
American History, 14th and Constitution Ave., NW
Tickets: SOLD OUT
Maria Solheim – Behind Closed Doors
Young singer-songwriter can charm any audience.
When: 7:00 pm, November 23
Where: Andalu, 1214 18th street
Tickets: Free event. Tickets required, please send an e-mail to
[email protected]
Norway Says
HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway introduces the new wave
of Norwegian design. Join the Norway Says designers to get an exclusive
tour of this contemporary furniture exhibit.
When: 4:00 pm, November 24
Where: Union Station, Main Hall
Tickets: Free event.
Norway Says - Seminar and Reception
Placing Norwegian design on the agenda
When: 7:00 pm, November 25
Where: The Corcoran Gallery of Art
Tickets: Call (202) 639 1770.
Corcoran Members $15, Public $20
Norway Says - Party and Reception
Join Norway Says at one of Washington’s
finest design stores and register to win a fantastic prize: two chairs designed by the Norway Says group.
When: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, November 26
Where: Apartment Zero, 406 7th Street NW
Tickets: Call (202) 628 4069. Free event.
Toys for Tots & the Holiday Model Train Opening
Donating a toy or two will give others a better holiday. While you are at
the station, take the opportunity to be part of the opening of the world’s
largest portable model train! See the splendor of Norwegian nature as the
mini-train winds its way through mountains and fjords.
When: 12:00 noon, November 29 onwards
Where: Union Station, West Hall
Tickets: Free event.
Norway Information Booth
Your opportunity to learn more about Norway.
When: December 2 onwards
Where: Union Station, West Hall
Tickets: Free event.
Tree Lighting Ceremony
Join radio personality Garrison Keillor as he lights the 8,000 glittering
lights of the Official Christmas Tree of the District of Columbia. The 35-ft.
spruce is a gift from the people of Oslo to the people of Washington, D.C.
When: 5:30 pm, December 5
Where: Union Station, Main Hall
Tickets: Free event.
Norwegian-American Christmas Bazaars
Need a holiday treat? Head for the bazaars, where you can find everything from waffle irons to hand-made crafts.
When: December 6 & 7
Where: Union Station, Main Hall
Tickets: Free event.
The Norwegian Christmas Elf
Learn how to make Norwegian Christmas ornaments. Good children may
even get to meet Santa, who’ll be handing out gift bags filled to the rim
with Norwegian candy.
When: 1:00 pm, December 7
Where: The Smithsonian Associates, C. Dillon Ripley Center
Tickets: Call (202) 357 3030 for information and tickets. Members $15,
Public $20
Norwegian Visions
Siblings Julie and David Coucheron are perhaps
the most promising young talents in Norway.
His violin and her piano communicate youth’s
exuberant and playful view of life .
When: 7:30 pm, December 7
Where: John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts, Terrace Theater
Tickets: Call (800) 444 1324. $15
Out of the Norwegian Woods
See the cream of Norwegian rock live in concert! The
melodic rock of Furia, the blues explosion of Bjørn
Berge and acoustic beauty of Minor Majority will
sweep you off your feet.
When: 8:30 pm, December 8
Where: The Black Cat, 1811 14th st NW
Tickets: $10, available at the door, or through
www.ticketmaster.com
Wilhelm Bjerknes Documentary
The father of modern meteorology is presented in this film directed by
Bjørn Vassnes. Dr. Monica Kristensen introduces.
When: 6:30 pm, December 9
Where: The Carnegie Foundation, 1530 P street NW
Tickets: Free event, no reservations needed
Mette Newth - Learning From History
The author of the fascinating historical novel “The Abduction” talks
about minorities and human rights.
When: 10:00 am, December 10
Where: Macfarland Middle School, 4400 Iowa Ave.
Tickets: Closed event.
Taste of Norway
Tantalize your taste buds with samples of
Norwegian food. The Norwegian
Ladies’ Club, dressed in their stunning
national costumes, will serve tasty meals
from up North.
When: 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm, December
15
Where: Union Station, Main Hall
Tickets: Free event.
PLEASE CHECK WWW.NORWAY.ORG FOR COMPLETE AND CONTINOUS UPDATES IN YOUR AREA.
11
newsofNorway / 5·02
editorial
Committment and re-committment
A
h, December, the month of the great
countdowns. We count down to the
holidays, to the New Year, to time
spent together with family and loved ones.
Here at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in
Washington, DC, we’ve been counting down
to December for several months now. This
final month of the year is when we most clearly show the Capital City our heritage, our culture, our arts – everything we’re proud of.
Yes, December is the month for our annual festival “Norwegian Christmas at Union
Station”. For the sixth consecutive year the
D.C. area will be buzzing with concerts,
shows, bazaars, and, of course, the Christmas
tree and the holiday model train. As you’ll see
from the schedule of events on page 11, this
year’s festival offers something for everyone,
and we sincerely hope you’ll have a good
time.
The holiday month also hosts another
event of great importance for Norway – the
presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize. On
December 10, former President Jimmy Carter
will be presented with the award at Oslo’s
City Hall in recognition of his lifelong efforts
to promote world peace.
This prize has long been a way for the
Nobel Committee of thanking outstanding
individuals and organizations for contributing
to making the planet a safer and more stable
place to live. The year we are about to enter,
2003, will mark the 50th anniversary of
another great American Peace Prize recipient:
In 1953, General George C. Marshall received
the award for being the executor of the
“European Recovery Program”, what we
today know as the Marshall Plan.
In 1945, Europe lay in ruins from the devastation of World War Two. General Marshall,
then Secretary of State under President
Truman, stood behind an effort by the United
States aimed at reducing the hunger, homelessness, unemployment and political restlessness the people of Europe were undergoing.
At the time the United States produced half of
the world’s GDP, and the war had never hit
US soil. Marshall, to whom, according to one
historian, “there was no lemon that life could
serve(…)that he could not turn into lemonade,” felt that the US needed to help bring
Europe back on its feet. The Marshall Plan,
enunciated at Harvard University in June
1947, outlined how to go about it.
M
ore than $10 billion was given to
Europe in grants during the four
years the program lasted. In today’s
terms, that’s equivalent to around $90 billion.
Norway received $216 million in grants and
$39 million in loans as part of the Marshall
Plan. No other country in Europe received
more aid per person. This help made it possible for Norway to get the economy going
again after five years of wartime occupation.
Former US Ambassador to the UN,
Richard Holbrooke, once said that The
Marshall Plan “re-committed the United
States to Europe.” It also re-committed
Norway to the United States, and this relationship was made even stronger through the
founding of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) in 1948. Since World
War Two, our two countries have stood side
by side on a variety of issues. The latest example of Norway’s commitment to the United
States was seen when Norway, as one of the
15 members of the UN Security Council,
recently supported a resolution on Iraq as initiated by the USA.
T
he holidays are a time for gifts. Many
people give subscriptions to magazines
as holiday presents. Why not treat a
person to News of Norway? The best part is:
it’s free. So if you know someone whom you
think should be added to our 35,000-strong
list of subscribers, please send us an e-mail or
a letter. We’ll make sure to produce another
six issues in 2003 filled with news, features
and information from Norway.
God jul og godt nytt år!
KRISTOFFER RØNNEBERG | EDITOR
[email protected]
www.norway.org
Events / 12
Norwegian Christmas at
Union Station / 10
Crown Roast / 10
Norwegian Salmon / 6
News / 2
INSIDE
Royal Norwegian Embassy
2720 34th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008-2714
Tel: (202) 333-6000
Fax: (202) 333-0543
newsofNorway
News of Norway is proofread by
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Editorial assisant:
Helena Sæle
News of Norway’s articles,
photographs and layout by
Editor
Kristoffer Ronneberg
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