Thorupstrand Coastal Fishermen’s Guild

The fishing community in Thorupstrand, in northern Jutland, is one of the few examples of small-scale fishing still surviving in Denmark. Thorupstrand is a fishing village along Denmark’s northern coast. Fishing has never been a simple affair here. The strong sea currents are constantly reshaping the sea bed, preventing the construction of a port. As a result, the boats must be winched in and out of the water every day and “parked” along the shore when not in use.

The Thorupstrand Coastal Fishermen’s Guild (Thorupstrand Kystfiskerlaug in Danish) unites the local fishers. It was founded in 2006 as a reaction to the privatization of fishing quotas that wiped out most of Denmark’s small-scale fishing industry and concentrated access to marine resources in just a few hands.

Its management model has evolved out of the local families’ ancient tradition of collectively managing the fishing. The fishers who join own and manage the catch quotas as a community, redistributing them to each member. The membership cost (100,000 Danish kroner, about 13,000 euros) is the same for all members and is paid back to anyone who decides to leave the group.

The processing facilities, retail space, some landing equipment and the areas for storing the boats on land are also owned jointly. Much of the Thorupstrand catch travels to Copenhagen, where it is sold directly to consumers from a fishmonger’s shop based on a boat anchored in the city.

The Thorupstrand fishers use traditional fishing methods that respect the fish species and the marine environment. The nets, for example, could legally have a smaller mesh, but their larger holes mean the fishers avoid catching undersized fish. The most common species caught are haddock, lumpfish, monkfish, turbot and pollock, also known as coley.

Typical dishes prepared with Thorupstrand fish include Stjerneskud (“the shooting star”) a traditional Danish open-face sandwich made from toasted rye or white bread, a breaded and fried fish fillet, brined herring, asparagus, mayonnaise, lemon, shrimp and dill.