Increased oil tanker traffic and lack of emergency plans
Lofoten and the rest of the northern Norwegian coastline are under increasing threats from passing oil tankers transporting oil from Russia to Europe and the USA. A single oil tanker accident could destroy the entire Lofoten coastline, as well as killing a large proportion of fish eggs, fish larvae and seabird populations that the entire Barents ecosystem is dependent upon.
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Oil companies pressure for access
Important players within the national and international oil industry are demanding access to the potentially oil-rich areas in both the Barents Sea and Lofoten areas. According to the oil industry, the potential oilfields offshore Lofoten are the most promising. They seem to disregard the fact that this area is the most crucial area for the rich Lofoten-Barents Sea fisheries, as well as a critical feeding ground for numerous bird species that forage out from large nesting colonies. Among the international corporations pressuring the government to open the area for oil, Shell is number one.
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Over-fishing, factory fishing and bottom trawling
The Norwegian-Arctic cod fishery has provided the foundations for the Lofoten community for more than 1000 years. The Lofoten-Barents area still hosts the world’s largest cod stock, but this sustainable fishing tradition may soon come to an end. The modern ocean-going factory fishing fleet is taking ever- increasing quantities of fish. The factory trawler fleet is able to fish in areas and to depths never touched before, with heavier equipment that destroys the ocean floor before it is even investigated by scientists who are only just beginning to understand the ecosystem and biodiversity values of the deep oceans.
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