Culture and history
The Tana River is one of Europe's most legendary salmon rivers – not only because of its size and catches, but because for centuries the river has been the lifeblood of the people who live here.
Salmon fishing traditions dating back thousands of years
In Tana, Sami, Norwegian and Kven families have developed local fishing methods, adapted to the large river. Traditional techniques such as driftnets and fences was used in the river with great knowledge and respect for nature. In the fjord there has been active fishing with hook and line nets and seines.
For people in the Tanadalen and the fjord, salmon has been more than a resource – it has been language, culture, identity and livelihood. Salmon was eaten, traded and sold, and the river connected local communities on both sides of the Norwegian-Finnish border.
In the 20th century, the Tana River also became known outside the region. Anglers from all over Europe came to experience the large salmon. This led to new regulations and greater pressure on the stock – and eventually important discussions about who has the right to fish in the river, and in what way.
Preservation of River Sámi culture and salmon fishing
Summary of consultation input from the Sharing Our Knowledge project.
The project Juogadit min máhtu (Sharing our knowledge) (in Norwegian: Kunnskap på deling) has submitted consultation input to the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Sami Parliament's joint consultation on a plan for the preservation of Sami salmon fishing culture. The consultation input was written by Camilla Brattland, Tommy Ose, Kia Krarup Hansen and Laila Pellennec (Norwegian Arctic University Museum, UiT Norwegian Arctic University) in collaboration with Hege Persen (Joddu – Wild Salmon Visitor Center, Tana) and Harald Gaski (Deanu Institute). The consultation input is mainly based on a series of salmon dialogues, interviews and experiences from international gatherings with other river indigenous peoples in Karasjok, Tana, Utsjok and Canada. The focus of these activities has been precisely the preservation of indigenous salmon fishing culture and knowledge in a context of climate crisis and dwindling salmon stocks.
Driftnet fishing
Is a typical spring fishery early in the season when the river is large. Due to failure to achieve spawning stock targets, driftnet fishing has been closed since 2021.
Stubble fishing
Is a typical midsummer fishery with lower water levels. Due to failure to achieve spawning stock targets, the fence fishery has been closed since 2021.