It looks as though the fish have heard the call to attend Nor-Fishing 2004. Peter Gullestad, president of the Nor-Fishing Foundation says the stocks are up and people are coming to the Nor-Fishing show to invest.
The show takes place in the fishing town of Trondheim from August, 10-13 and more than 450 exhibitors from 15 countries will be present. There could be up to 1,000 companies on site, taking into account that many are part of national and regional pavilions, the organisers said. There will be seven exhibition halls with 14,000 square metres plus an outdoor area of 4,000 sq.m.
Gullestad said they expect more than 25,000 visitors, a figure close to the record-breaking number of 30,000 in 2000. He says they believe the fishing industry is entering a phase of optimism boosted by the favourable exchange rate for the Norwegian kroner and the reasonably good situation of Norwegian fish stocks.
"In 2000, the industry was on the top. It only happens once in a hundred years that both market and the fish stocks situation are high at the same time. The year 2002 was a down period for the industry but this year it is again going up and people are coming to the show to invest," he says. According to Odd Berg, managing director of Trondheim Spektrum, technical organiser of the exhibition, there has been a lot of interest in the show from European shipyards. He points out that companies from countries such as Japan, which had stopped exhibiting some time back, have now returned. Newcomers include companies from China and Korea.
All aboard!
The Fair takes over the town and the town takes over the fair. "This is one of those shows in which the whole city gets involved. In Trondheim, everyone gets involved in the exhibition. Nearly all the hotel rooms are booked for people participating in the show and the restaurants will fill up with those people in the evening. You can meet everyone. Half of the summer income for Trondheim is taken during Nor-Fishing week," explains Odd Berg.
In Skansen harbour, alongside the exhibition, the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research will be showing off to the public its newest and believed to be the world's most sophisticated research vessel, the G.O. Sars. The Norwegian Coastguard will also be putting on show its latest vessels, the KV Svalbard, with state-of-the art technology for operations in Arctic waters under extreme conditions and the KV Malene Østervold.
There will be a selection of other modern fishing vessels. To boost technical development in the industry, the Nor-Fishing Foundation will award its Innovation Prize, worth NOK100,000 (11,950 Euro), and all exhibitors and non-exhibitors have been eligible to compete for it. The winner will be announced on the opening day. (The Nor-Fishing Foundation is a non-profit organisation established to promote the Norwegian fishing and aquaculture industries. The board consists of two members appointed by the ministry of fisheries (including the President), one member from the Norwegian Fishermen's Association as well as one representative each from the fish farming industry, Trondheim City and the Export Council of Norway.)
