The Dream of Paradise
On a day of spring in 1897, a rowing boat entered Bekkjarvik Harbour in Austevoll, an island kingdom south of Bergen. Ashore stepped Ole Halstensen, together with his wife Karine and their three sons. Living in indigent circumstances on an islet, Steinsundsholmen, in Outer Sulen, one would expect Ole and his family to seek for new opportunities.
Most people sailed west, hoping to cross the oceans and take part of the American Dream. Karine and Ole chose differently, and settled in Bekkjarvik. They considered Bekkjarvik a paradise of opportunities: a farm consisting of 12 cows and 600 decare of land, of this 70 decare infield, a guesthouse, a general store, a granary, steamer service, a sub-post office and a telegraph. Ole had 7000 NOK in total savings and was allowed to borrow 10 000 NOK from a friend. With these resources, Karine and Ole were able to fund and take charge of one of the eldest ports along the shipping lane between Bergen and Stavanger, the E39 of that time.
Herring adventure and expansion
Karine and Ole were used to hard work. As the kids grew up, they learned from their parents.
5th of May 1909, Hans and his brother Andreas took over with aspiring plans for Bekkjarvik’s future. Throughout the 300 years of Bekkjarvik’s existence, the owners had limited their business to farming, trading and running the guesthouse. With Andreas behind the wheels, the two boys broaded their minds and took part in the Herring adventure. At this time, Herring was a popular and lucrative resource.
Multifaceted service station
Hans and Andreas built a huge salting shack, with salting of Herring at the ground floor, and production of barrels at the first floor. Furthermore, they built a new hay barn, a new general store, new quays and steamer service, net house which impregnated, dried and mended the nets, waterworks which made it possible for boats to fill water directly from the quay and a fuel station. Fishing vessels considered Bekkjarvik as a multifaceted service station, satisfying any need. Eventually, Hans and Andreas invested in fishing vessels, established a fishing boat company, and sailed West to Iceland, where they took part in the herring fishery.
Ambitious youths
During the boom period (1914-18, WW1) Andreas and Hans worked hard. Miraculously, the two brothers with a lack of experience and reputation, managed to secure financing equivalent to 250 million NOK regarded in 2022 value. This funding was probably a result of Norwegian banks´ and the public administration´s wish to build a strong and independent Norway after we gained independence in 1905.
The hard years
Depression and financial crisis followed the period between the wars. Andreas and Hans had established a good foundation during the world war 1, but still had to slow down and run their business carefully through the hard years of 1930-1950.
A golden decade
During the 50´s, the game was back on! Western Norway – and Bekkjarvik – witnessed a decade without comparison. The old shoal of herring invaded the western coast of Norway with legions bigger than ever.
The crisis
Unfortunately, this adventure couldn’t last forever, and in 1959 it ended abruptly. With no preliminary warning, the Norwegian spring spawning herring, which had been of great value for the Norwegian coast almost since the dawn of historical time, were gone. The crisis was immense, and for Bekkjarvik even bigger. The focus of the rich herring-period in the 1950s was on the manufacturing, with the aim of renewal and efficiency. The fishing vessels were not a priority.
Good fishermen
The Austevoll community survived because of skilled fishermen. During the golden decade, they had invested in renewal and improvement of the fishing vessels. This made them competitive even in Austevoll`s great depression. Bekkjarvik was an exception. Andreas and Hans were forced to shut down the manufacturing, and stagger along with two out-dated fishing vessels. At long last, it was a question of survival for the company.
The technological revolution and efficiency improvements
After five years of wandering in the wilderness, Norwegian herring-fishers reached a technological revolution. This ended the crisis. From 1965, the Norwegian fishing fleet entered a period of galloping development towards better profitability. The vessels were now able to take the seines on their own stern, and a powerful hydraulic roll was installed. The seines became longer and deeper. The changes were revolutionary, and the Halstensen company followed as best they could.
Efficiency improvements
During the 60´s, the new net technology, the purse seine, led to a noticeable reduction of required crew members. The new seine technology made it possible to fish North-sea-herring, mackerel, Atlantic horse mackerel, sprat and smelt. Oceanographers were assigned to recommend yearly total quotas for all spieces, in order to make the pelagic fishery in Northern Europe sustainable. New species were discovered, for example the blue whiting in the deep Atlantic. The blue whiting had to be caught with trawl, which gave incentives for the vessels to rig for both purse seines and trawl.
RSW – cooling system were the next major development, making it possible to cool down a hundred ton of seawater. The cold water was circulated through the holds to conserve the fish. Before this new technology, all the catch were sold to fish meal-factories. With this technology, the fish (Herring and mackerel) would maintain the required quality to be sold for human consumption..
Skillful crew
Halstensens two remaining vessels, were among the eldest and smallest, when the growth in the pelagic fishery exploded in 1965. The Norwegian Maritime authorities did not prove one of them, so it was condemned the same year. The other boat was provided with power block and a new purse seine net. Against heavy odds, with a boat too small for such fishery, a skillful crew made it possible for the company to compete with the best.
Greater investments
Eventually, Hans and Andreas were followed by sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The company was headed by Alfred Halstensen, then Inge Halstensen, and now by the twins Christian and Asle Halstensen.
Once bitten twice shy, the company was now mainly focusing on fishing. The development demanded heavy founding, and Halstensen had to concentrate all their resources on building new, bigger, and more efficient fishing vessels. It turned out that the Norwegian fishing fleet consisted of too many vessels, making it hard for companies to be profitable. Therefore, the public administration allowed acquisition and merging of vessels and privileges. This resulted in prodigious values.
The future
Today, the Halstensen fleet counts five, ocean-going fishing vessels, and the company is among the five biggest fishing boat companies in Norway. In addition to the three pelagic vessels, the company own and run one fabric trawler of white fish and a shrimp trawler.
Bekkjarvik Guest house
The old guest house which Hans inherited, was sold to new owners in 1984. The new owners were exceptionally competent chefs. This led to a rebirth of the old guest house. Arnt and Ørjan Johannessen, representing the next generation of chefs at the guest house, took the leap into the world elite of cooking when Arnt was rewarded as the best Chef of the year 2014, and Ørjan won the Bocuse d’Or in 2015. Their new boutique hotel Beckerwyc House with the restaurant Mirabelle by Ørjan Johannessen opened in summer 2023. This exciting development has led Bekkjarvik into a successful project within Norwegian travel-business.
Bekkjarvik Eiendom
The new expansion within cuisine and tourism, has created a need for banqueting rooms, concert arena, museum, art gallery, hotel rooms and guest harbours. A great share of the old buildings in Bekkjarvik, formerly used in the fish industry, has been given new life in a new era. Most of the income from the fishery is invested in a reviving of the old trading village.
The trading business has developed into a shopping centre, consisting of 16 shops, a hairdresser, a pharmacy, a healthcare center and a library. In addition, Bekkjarvik has become a popular boat- and camping- tourist destination, and harbours, piers, parks, promenades, and beaches have been developed.
Stronger together
The cooperation between us and the owners of the guesthouse has given a new life to the old trading village, which was about to suffer the same destiny as other fishing villages on the coast of Norway. Local inhabitants, guests, tourists, and business travelers are enjoying the unique reincarnation of Bekkjarvik.