Local Politician Fined for Illegally Storing Lobsters, Keeping Unregistered Boat
The mayor of Bjørnafjorden municipality, Kristoffer Søviknes, found himself in hot water recently after being reported by the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries for illegally storing lobsters. On December 18, 2023, Søviknes was fined NOK 15,000 for failing to register the lobsters, which were found in a collective trap.
In addition to the fine, Søviknes’ boat was also discovered to be unregistered, leading to an additional penalty of NOK 3,000, equivalent to the value of ten used traps, according to Fiskeribladet. Søviknes himself admitted to the "old mistake," calling it embarrassing.
"I’m usually very careful about following the rules," Søviknes stated. "The plan was indeed to report it, but it slipped my mind. It happened last fall after the lobster season ended. I went on a trip to Kiel and completely forgot to register it. I only found out later when the Directorate of Fisheries checked the collective trap."
