Hopen is a fishing village with deep roots and long traditions. The settlement has engaged in fishing and farming for many hundred years. Unfortunately, there are not many facts about Hopen before 1825, when the property was taken over by Jens E. Hasselberg , and later by his son Jens M. Hasselberg . The good fishing and other activities resulted in prosperity in Hopen. According to the Fisheries Inspection Authorities, in 1861 there were 1647 fishermen in 475 boats registered in Hopen and Kalle.

In 1916 the property was sold by Hasselberg’s widow to Jørgen M. Angell . The property remained in the Angell family until the early 1980s, when it was sold to Steinsvik , Melbu. The fishing related activities were developed , and major changes were made. In the following years, there were several changes of ownership in Hopen . Today, it is Hopen Fisk AS who run the production facilities in Hopen.

In May 2002, the Hopen production plant, including the cold store and office facilities, was gutted by a fire. However, in cooperation with the insurance company , If Storebrand , a modern production facility meeting all the official requirements was built and could open in the Summer of 2004.

Harbour conditions

Hopen has one of Lofoten's best natural ports . Hopspollen is well protected from the wind and the weather . The inlet was already made deeper at the government's expense in 1891-1892 , and has since been dredged several times.

By today's standards, however, the harbour was not deep enough for all the traffic to a modern fish production plant. Both in - and outbound deliveries were made difficult by the depth of the harbour . After several years of intense dialogue to improve the depth, the final approval for dredging the harbour and the inlet came in 2002 and the work was done by the Coastal Authorities in the Summer of that year. Today the inlet has a depth of 5.5 - 6 meters , and the harbour a depth of 6-7 meters at the quayside.

Hopen Fisk today

Traditional fish production is no longer what it was and Hopen Fisk has been forced to change with the times.

When the plant was rebuilt after the fire in 2002 , the standard took in to consideration future demands and requirements of the food industry. This meant that the company would be able to evolve from a traditional production of whole round fish to operating as a food industry producer . The company has in recent years worked to develop the business from being a supplier of raw material to a supplier of value-added products. In addition, the plant can easily adapt production to the different fishing seasons during the year. The seasons are based on the natural migration of the fish and government quota regulations.