History
Hopen is a fishing village with deep roots and long-standing traditions. This area has been inhabited and used for fishing and agriculture for several centuries.
Unfortunately, there is little factual information about Hopen prior to 1825, when the property was taken over by Jens E. Hasselberg, and later by his son, Jens M. Hasselberg. Those were prosperous times in Hopen, with good fishing and a high level of activity. According to the Fisheries Inspectorate, in the year 1861, for example, 1,647 fishermen rowed out from Hopen and Kalle in a total of 475 boats.
In 1916, the property was sold by the widow Mrs. Hasselberg to Jørgen M. Angell. The Angell family owned the property until the early 1980s, when it was sold to Steinsvik, Melbu. The fishery operations on the property were expanded, and major changes were underway. Since then, there have been several ownership changes in Hopen. Today, Hopen Fisk AS operates the production facility on the property.
In May 2002, Hopen was struck by fire. The blaze destroyed production facilities, cold storage rooms, and all administrative offices. n close cooperation with the insurance company, IF Storebrand, the company was able to move into new, modern facilities by the summer of 2004. Today, the plant stands as a modern production facility that meets all government standards.
Harbor Conditions
Hopen naturally has one of the best harbors in Lofoten. Hopspollen is well protected from the weather and wind. The inlet was deepened at state expense already in 1891–92 and has since been dredged several times.
However, by today’s standards, the harbor was not deep enough to handle the traffic required by a modern fishing industry. Both inbound and outbound deliveries were hindered by depth limitations. After years of campaigning to improve the harbor’s depth, we finally succeeded in 2002. That summer, the Norwegian Coastal Administration (Kystverket) carried out dredging operations. Today, the inlet has a depth of 5.5–6 meters, and the quay depth is 6 meters.
Hopen Fisk AS today
Traditional fisheries are no longer what they once were – and Hopen Fisk AS has had to evolve with the times.
When the facility was rebuilt after the 2002 fire, it was designed to meet future standards for the food industry. This meant transforming the company from a traditional fish and herring receiving station into a food production business. In recent years, the company has worked strategically to transition from being a raw material supplier to offering semi-processed and finished products. Emphasis has also been placed on ensuring that the facility is flexible enough to handle various types of production throughout the different fishing seasons of the year. These seasons are based on the natural migration patterns of fish and official fishing regulations.