– Look at the one who is up there and swim. It’s a money crab! Øyvind Hesjevik hangs over the rail of his boat, pointing and squinting at the reeds. With a GoPro camera on his head, he films his working day and posts it on TikTok. At the time of writing, his videos have over 40 million views and 103,000 followers. With a GoPro on his head, he films content for TikTok. Photo: Ine Eftestøl / news The aim is to recruit for what he believes is a profession that has everything. Money, freedom and physical work, close to beautiful nature. A dollar grin appears at the same time as the tea. King crab is the Ferrari of catching, and on a good trip he can earn several hundred thousand kroner. He is excited about the day. Not for everyone – We hope for the best, but are prepared for it to be crap, he grins. In any case, the day won’t be completely rubbish. The Porsangerfjord in Finnmark glistens quietly and politely, the coffee is hot, the sky is blue, and one or two favorite rappers are throbbing at the facility. In addition, he has with him 16-year-old Tord Hesjevik, who has a summer job on the boat, and is both good help and good company. Tord Hesjevik has been fishing since he was little, and thinks it’s fun, but doesn’t want it as a job. – It would have been too much chaos, I probably need an office job instead, he says. Photo: Ine Eftestøl / news Tord believes the reason for the viral success is that many people like to see what he calls real work on social media. – I think people are interested in slightly different things. There will be something new, and I haven’t had that much online. You get to see actual work. And fishing is a very interesting profession. Want to inspire young people – The comments I appreciate the most are from people who say that they didn’t care about fishing before, but after watching the videos have become very interested in it, and want to become fishermen when they grow up, says Øyvind. The comments come from young people as young as 12, but also well-grown adults. His aim is to explain the job so simply that land crabs with no experience can understand and follow along. On his profile Bubbapump he posts snippets of his working day. – Especially today where many jobs are sedentary, there are many people who want to have a physical job, he says. More and more young people are investing in the fishing profession, which Hesjevik thinks is absolutely brilliant. The fact that you don’t need to go to school for years to earn well and have a promising career is a lot of the reason, he believes. Øyvind Hesjevik thinks fishing is a wonderful profession. Photo: Ine Eftestøl / news An industry with a new status People like Øyvind are worth their weight in gold for recruitment, says editor of Fiskeribladet, Øystein Haga. He has worked at the magazine for 20 years and closely followed the changes in the industry, media and social media. The editor of Fiskeribladet, Øystein Haga, is very happy that fisheries have been given a new status. Photo: Lena Knutli – I think that the mention the industry gets in social media is absolutely decisive, as the group of young people who follow this may not get as much from traditional media. It is important to have role models in other areas, and I think it is the same with fisheries and aquaculture. He believes that the entire industry has had its reputation lifted, and that what was for a long time an outdated industry has gained new status, especially among young people. – If you asked people a few years ago what they were doing, they answered fish and mumbled it softly. But now they hold their heads higher and tell the world how great this is. At the same time, he is quick to add that representation in the medium does not always correspond completely to reality, and that it is not for everyone. – It is tough, and it is difficult to get into this industry. Even if you initially make good money, it is very expensive to buy quotas and a boat, says Haga. He adds: – And there are few industries where there are as many accidents and as high a death toll as at sea, so you must be aware of the choices you make, he says. Salary lures, the Directorate of Fisheries believes – It is interesting that there are so many young people who want to enter the fishery, says Liv Holmefjord, professional director at the statistics department in the Directorate of Fisheries. Liv Holmefjord in the Directorate of Fisheries believes that it is particularly profitable to lure young people to the sea. Photo: Private Although the number of fishermen has decreased, the proportion of young people has increased. – What I have seen in the last ten years is that the number of those with fishing as their main occupation has stabilized at 9,000-9,500. The number of young people among them has shown an increasing trend, says Holmefjord. – Today there are probably 2,000 of the 9,500 who are under 30 years of age. This was in 2021. If I go back a few years, this proportion was smaller, so this is positive, she says. She also believes that positive publicity has contributed to the new trend. – There are probably several factors that come into play, but not least this with profitability. The number of applicants for fishing and catching at secondary schools has increased dramatically in recent years. Little crabs and a casino atmosphere – Bere mått! Lots of work and no crab to keep! Disappointing! Jubel and vonbrot bite each other’s tails. The energy on deck is high, and Øyvind has an outside voice. Because wherever they go there is a bit of a casino atmosphere. Hesjevik fishes both king crab, prawns and fish. Photo: Ine Eftestøl / news – Ah! This one was better! Fewer crabs but more big ones! Yes! The bins are emptied and put out again, and only the highlight of the day remains: – Heading home after a good day’s work is the very best thing about this job, says Øyvind, and leans back in the driver’s seat. The fishing trip is over, and will soon be shared on TikTok. Despite a lot of small crabs, the day ended with 290 kilos of crab for NOK 117,000, and a very satisfied fisherman.
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Fishing Øyvind Hesjevik viral on TikTok. – news Troms and Finnmark
