The case in summary: Fish buyer Kato Fredriksen in Nordland has bought a 303 kilo mackerel sturgeon, the biggest fish he has bought in his life. Hobbyist Thomas Tangen Flem in Ålesund has caught a 396.7 kilo mackerel sturgeon, which could be a new Norwegian record. The mackerel sturgeon population has increased in the last ten years after being close to extinction, giving hope to other threatened species. Fish buyer Kato Fredriksen (66) got his hands on what he calls a real treat this week. A 303-kilogram mackerel sturgeon, which was caught on a net outside Vega in Nordland. – It is the biggest fish I have bought. And I have bought quite a few fish during my life. Fredriksen is chairman of the board at Vega Delikatesser, which receives and further processes fish at Vega. – I don’t remember seeing a fish like that before, so it’s very funny. The fish, which can weigh up to 700 kilos, weighed 303 kilos with the head pictured. Photo: Kato Fredriksen A single mackerel sturgeon can be sold for several million kroner. In 2012, the world’s most expensive mackerel sturgeon was sold at a fish market in Tokyo for a sum equivalent to an incredible NOK 4.4 million. In Norway, it is estimated that a 300 kilo mackerel sturgeon can have a value of between NOK 50,000 and 100,000. The fish buyer at Vega says that the price of the fish is not as high now. The reason is that there is also mackerel sturgeon fishing around Bergen and Ålesund. But revealing the price of the mackerel sturgeon is out of the question. Possible Norwegian record It’s not just Helgeland that has mackerel sturgeon fever. In Ålesund, hobby fisherman Thomas Tangen Flem has caught a 396.7 kilo mackerel sturgeon with rod and reel out in a small 22-foot boat. Here stands Thomas Tangen Flem with his biggest catch ever. Photo: Privat He describes mackerel sturgeon fishing as the most boring and extreme thing you can do in sport fishing. – It is by far the strongest fish in the world. He is part of a fishing team where, in addition to being able to tag fish, they can take a fish for their own consumption. – We were a bit lucky that when we first caught a fish it was a mackerel sturgeon. Now he is anxiously waiting for a response from the jury in Villmarksliv, who will make the decisive verdict on whether it is a new Norwegian record. Thomas Tangen Flem from Ålesund works as a mechanic at a leisure boat dealer, and is a fairly active fisherman. Photo: Private – It’s really tough and a big dream to experience, says Flem, and adds that there will be a lot of sushi dinners ahead. Exemplary quality Leif Nøttestad is a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, and is the responsible researcher for mackerel and mackerel sturgeon. Facts about mackerel sturgeon Nøttestad says that this is the largest tuna species on the planet. It is one of the fastest swimmers we have and can weigh up to 700 kilos. They can swim 25,000 kilometers in a year, and dive down to 1,200 metres. The mackerel sturgeon is widespread throughout the Atlantic, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and all the way across to the Gulf of Mexico, along the American coast and in Canadian waters. In addition, it can weigh from 150-200 kilograms to 400-500 kilograms. Source: Leif Nøttestad, Institute of Marine Research He says that the mackerel sturgeon is the world’s largest tuna species and that Norway is the northernmost area where the mackerel sturgeon is found. This is also where you find the largest specimens. – Getting a large and well-grown catch of 303 kilograms is probably not that common. To find that, you have to go back to the 1950s and 60s. For many years there was extensive fishing for mackerel sturgeon and in the 50s and 60s Norway was Europe’s largest fishery for mackerel sturgeon. This led to the species being close to extinction. Beyond the 2000s, the population was on the rise. In 2014, an experimental fishery was opened for the first time in 30 years. – Who would have expected to catch a mackerel sturgeon in a net off the coast of Helgeland on a late October day, says Leif Nøttestad at HI, and adds that it is a fantastic observation. Photo: Unknown Internationally, the quotas for mackerel sturgeon fishing are over 4,000 tonnes, but in Norway the limit is just under 400 tonnes. – Little is caught in our waters, but it may be profitable to fish for mackerel sturgeon in the future. Currently, it is not, explains the researcher. Nøttestad adds that something that makes Norwegian mackerel sturgeon so special is its exemplary quality. Can’t sell abroad There will also be a sushi party at Vega. Now the 303-kilogram mackerel sturgeon from Helgeland has been filtered and a portion has been sent to Trondheim. At the weekend, some will be sent to restaurants in Bodø. – You don’t sell it abroad? – No, it was so big that we actually don’t have the opportunity to pack it down, says fish buyer Fredriksen. He adds that he thinks it’s nice to have the opportunity to sell locally. – And we take care of what is not sold, so if anyone wants to buy, just give a hint. – You’ve tasted it – was it good? – It tastes like tuna, Fredriksen says with a laugh. – But for those who like sushi, it will probably be very good. We’ll probably have a meal with the fish, us too. Here, a mackerel sturgeon that was to be served to restaurant guests in Bodø in 2019. Photo: Thomas Litangen / Pott og Panne AS Mackerel sturgeon is a source of hope and inspiration for endangered species In the 50s and 60s, Norway had one of the largest fisheries for mackerel sturgeon, but on From the 1970s to the 1990s, there was severe overfishing. – It resulted in a hard break in the stock until 2005. When strong measures were taken. For a long time, they struggled to increase the population, and at one point the species disappeared from Norwegian waters. – But then the miraculous thing happened that it returned around 2012, and in the last ten years the population has increased sharply. That is why it has appeared in our waters in greater and greater numbers, explains Leif Nøttestad at HI. Miraculously, the national and international community has managed to save the mackerel sturgeon, says Nøttestad. Photo: Erlend A. Lorentzen / Institute of Marine Research The fact that you get a 303 kilo mackerel sturgeon on Helgeland in nets is probably the result of us having a sustainable and large stock of mackerel sturgeon that spreads far. – It is for inspiration and hope that if you take action nationally and internationally, you can get endangered populations back on their feet. – When it is possible to make it happen with this species, then it is possible to rebuild fish stocks everywhere on this globe, believes the senior researcher.
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Mackerel sturgeon of 303 kilograms along the coast of Helgeland – news Nordland
