About Bømlo

On the west coast of Norway you will find an island called Bømlo. With rich nature, good economy and bustling industries Bømlo is home to about 11.700 people calling themselves Bømlingar.

When at Bømlo, you’re never far away from the sea. One of your closest neighbours is actually the North Sea. At 247 square kilometres Bømlo is a large island. The maritime environment sets its mark on the industry and travel to and on the island. The archipelago has beautiful islands, coves and canals witch is being used every summer by boat lovers who visits the island. The most popular place to hike on Bømlo is to Siggjo. At 474 metres above sea level, Siggjo is the tallest mountain on Bømlo.

Facts:

·         1000 small islands surround Bømlo.

·         On Bømlo there is 10 schools with 1750 students

·         There are 9 kindergartens

·         830 different companies

Attractions

Bømlo has many alluring attractions. From buildings 170 years old, to a 6000 year old quarry, a lobster park/hotel, traces of a UFO, our bridges, the churchyards, gold mines and many others.

 

Industries

Fishing

Fishing and catch has for centuries made people settle down along the coast. For Norway, with more than 100 thousand kilometres of coastline, this has made the Norwegian life and culture quite special and unique. On the west coast of Norway you will find the island of Bømlo. The location of Bømlo and the fact that it's an island, has made fishing the main industry on Bømlo.

 

More than 125 fishing vessels are registered in Bømlo. Ten of these are large ocean going fishing vessels. In the last couple of years about 64 million Euros has be invested into building new vessels and buying quotas on Bømlo. Fishing in Bømlo dates back 100's of years. The fishermen on Bømlo carry all the knowledge and experience built up in the last centuries by their ancestors when fishing today.

Aquaculture

In the last decades also marine aquaculture has become an important industry for Norway and Bømlo. The Norwegian costal communities and economy very much depend on its industry.

 

On Bømlo multiple fish farms and 3 slaughterhouses yearly produce more than 25.000 tons of fish, worth about 170 million Euros. One of the fish types being produced on Bømlo is the world famous Salma laks or Salma Salomon.

Offshore industry

Being surrounded by the North Sea, Bømlo has also got some offshore and oil industry companies. One of these is Eidesvik shipping. With a fleet of 26 supply, seismic and subsea vessels operating around the world, Eidesvik has since the 2000s been looking for innovative solutions for their ships. All around the world the company from Bømlo has got lots of attention for their modern and extremely environmental friendly ships. With battery and LNG driven ships Eidesvik is world leading when it comes to environmental friendly ships.