– I do it mostly for the money. But also for quality time with the family. 17-year-old Heidi Marie Kolbeinshavn is standing firmly in her father’s fishing boat outside Austevoll. It is wind, waves and rain, but she and little sister Ingeborg at 16 have full control. They have been fishing for wrasse since they were 12 years old. – On days with sun and good catch, it is the world’s best summer job, Heidi says. Heidi Marie Kolbeinshavn has fished wrasse and sold it to the local fish farmer when she was 12 years old. Now there are even more girls who like fishing as a summer job. Photo: Synne Sørenes / news More girls take part The two sisters have signed up for youth fishing, a scheme that gives young people between 12 and 25 years a license to fish up to 50,000 kroner. It is easy money for two girls who have grown up in a fishing family. – One must have a boat and equipment, and then one has expenses with fuel and the like. But otherwise it is quite simple. Several of their friends have also signed up for the scheme this year. In the island municipality south of Bergen, in fact, half of the 64 registered girls are. – I have 7-8 girlfriends who do it. It has become very popular in recent years, says Heidi Marie. The two sisters must work together when they are out at sea. The money they earn goes straight into the savings account, according to themselves. Photo: Synne Sørenes / news – Exclusively positive It is not only in Austevoll that the girls take this year’s summer job at sea. So far, 484 young people in Norway have signed up for the fishing scheme. More than one in three of them are girls. In a country where only 3 percent of professional fishermen are women, figures from Austevoll show hope for change, says leader of Norway’s fishing team, Kåre Heggebø. – This is exclusively positive, and a development that we are very happy about. He hopes the girls who try fishing find it exciting, and well to invest in it further. – It is good to have a mix of genders in all professions. It has something to do with attitudes and behavior, he says. Educational summer job In Austevoll, the Kolbeinhavn sisters are divided in the choice to continue fishing. Ingeborg envisages working with farming, while Heidi Marie is not sure. Nevertheless, they will probably continue with the summer job as long as they are allowed. – It is a nice summer job and a teacher much more than just fishing. One must make a budget, get the right permits and cooperation agreements, says Heidi Marie. And that fishing is also for girls, they are completely clear on. – Some people think girls are not strong enough to fish. It is only a matter of adapting the work so that it is possible. That’s probably what the boys do too, says the 17-year-old. 16-year-old Ingeborg Kolbeinshavn wants to work permanently with fishing and aquaculture. – I think it’s fun with all the creatures in the sea, she says. Photo: Synne Sørenes / news
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In Austevoll, half of them are registered for young fishing girls – news Vestland
