Norwegian Sea

Off Vesterålen, the Norwegian Sea washes a chain of islands north of Lofoten. Rich fishing grounds helped sustain settlements such as Langenes, an important fishing village from the Middle Ages. Dried fish travelled south to Bergen, while ships brought supplies back to the northern coast. In the seventeenth century the trading place of Tinden had its own vessel for carrying fish south, linking these exposed shores with the established markets of Norway.