Last of the Vikings

Contemporary Issues, third prize stories

February 18, 2012

A derelict sheep shelter is testament to a time when all families on Lofoten kept the animals for food and wool. Today only three families on the island have sheep. The fishing community on the Lofoten islands of northwestern Norway is slowly diminishing, as their way of life is dying out. A traditional economy based on small-scale, sustainable whaling, and fishing from family-owned boats, is no longer viable. Whaling—which the islanders practice legally under an international dispensation, as an historically and culturally important industry—is a physically demanding and at times dangerous occupation. Costs are high and financial returns low, as there is no export demand for whale meat, and many Norwegians consider it Depression-era or eco-unfriendly food. Other fishing activity is being taken over by larger companies using trawlers, rather than small, family-owned boats. The younger generation is opting for safer, salaried work, away from the islands, often in the oil industry or tourism.

Commissioned by: VII for National Geographic

Location: Lofoten, Norway

Photo Credit: Marcus Bleasdale

Marcus Bleasdale is a documentary photographer who uses his work to influence policy makers around the world. His work on human rights and conflict has been shown at the US Senate, The US House of Representatives, The United Nations and the Houses of Parliament in the UK.

Marcus' work also appears in the New Yorker, The New York Times, The Sunday Times Magazine, The Telegraph Magazine, Stern, Le Monde, TIME Magazine, Newsweek and National Geographic.

Marcus has been awarded The UNICEF Photographer of the Year Award (2004), Magazine Photographer of the Year award POYi (2005), The Alexia Foundation Award for World Peace (2005), The World Press Awards (2006), and the POYi Photo Book of the Year Award (2010), among others.