Our Arctic Neighbors: Norwegian industry seeks bait for fishermen

Offshore areas of the Norwegian Arctic will only be opened up to oil and gas activities if coastal residents can be persuaded there are benefits for them, the chairman of a local oil company told the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromso Jan. 26. Johann Petter Barlindhaug of North Energy said working with fishermen and indigenous people is crucial.

“They would like to participate in the early stage of the project,” Barlindhaug said. “They will not be treated as a problem, they will be treated as (people) who have significant knowledge that they would like to have as input, so they can both kind of improve the development that will take place and also be part of the creation of concepts and things like that.”

Explaining to people that the risks associated with oil and gas activities are small isn’t enough, Barlindhaug told the conference.

“They then ask the question, why should we take that risk if we don’t have a very clear and long-term benefit, and I think that is the major issue when we shall have a wide acceptance for the oil and gas industry,” he continued. “And the goal is that when the oil and gas period is ended, then the region should be in a better situation than before.” Advantages for the north could include more educational opportunities, involvement of local businesses in projects, and improved transportation and communications infrastructure, Barlindhaug added.

People in northern Norway sometimes look on oil and gas companies as having a hit-and-run strategy, exploiting the resources, taking the oil and then leaving, Barlindhaug noted. “That, I think, is the most damaging impression that we can have. ... The fishermen are those who carry the public opinion. And I would say it so strongly that if they don’t want us there, we should not be there. So we need to have a wide acceptance by the fishermen,” he said.

—Sarah Hurst