Fredd rebuilds town with salmon money – E24

There are no more than 220 people living in Cod. The small fishing village at the end of Senja that has always lived on the riches of the sea.

But not everything has gone equally well over the years, and little by little both the campsite, the doctor’s farm, a former fish farm and an old school have become strong symbols of marginal problems. Abandoned and poorly maintained.

But then Wilsgård Fiskeoppdrett started making money producing salmon. A lot of money.

– Actually, we are a small breeder. Those that are big are very big. But we are happy and we do not have inferiority complexes, he says.

Those who know senjaværings well understand what it means. In the rugged landscape, direct speech is applied, and one must look for extravagant habits for a long time, even if the income is in a completely different division than the traditional fjord fisherman.

– We have our feet on the ground. We can’t eat more than one dinner a day, either, he laughs.

– Everything is connected

It is not much the same in Cod from its inception in 1983 with license and two employees and to the current group with 120 employees. And as the activity has increased, Wilsgård has seen the need for something more.

– I usually say that everything is connected to everything. If we want to be able to operate well, we must also make it possible for people to live here and have meaningful leisure time, he says.

And since the small seaside town doesn’t have the whole world to offer, Wilsgård has taken hold of that too.

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– Together with Sparebanken, we have built a path of light. We have invested around NOK 25 million in housing and have established a fitness and wellness center. First of all, because we need it for our employees. But it benefits the whole town, he says.

And you certainly have not bought the old campsite and renovated both cabins and adapted for motorhomes.

– The goal is for us to have 70 accommodation places in Torsken, he says and shows a half-finished cafe that, when soon renovated, will also contribute to more life in Torsken.

– The tourism industry says that there is a willingness to pay among various customer groups, and if we can contribute to creating jobs here as well, then it is only positive, says Wilsgård.

– Only to apply for city status

The 70 accommodation places also include a complete renovation of a former fish farm and not least the venerable doctor’s farm in the center of the village.

– There we will offer the most exclusive accommodation options, he says with enthusiasm, but knowing that the seafood group spends a lot of money in the village.

Fredd Wilsgård suggests that it is between 120 and 130 million crowns.

The money machine in Sør-Troms

The use of the money also includes the complete renovation of the old village school to meeting rooms and accommodation facilities.

– Probably not everyone thinks that what we do is so difficult, but we believe that it is good for the people. It was a fisherman who said that “when Wilsgård finishes raking we will only apply for city status,” he says.

There is a high ceiling to say what you mean by Senja.

But if there is one person in the village who understands what people are talking about, it is Minna Laine. She is sitting at the checkout of the only Cod store.

– People are very happy with what is happening. We really have nothing but Wilsgård here, he says.

No dark clouds

Wilsgård Fiskeoppdrett had a turnover of just over 360 million in 2019 and was left with a pre-tax profit of NOK 88 million. The result is NOK 50 million better than the previous year. The whole group had sales of NOK 408 million.

The company includes several fish farms, as well as slaughterhouses and hatchery production, spread over several municipalities in Troms.

– In general, we are well received, and local politicians see that our presence has knock-on effects both on the rest of the business community and on the money in the municipal coffers through the aquaculture fund. But there are also examples in which we are not allowed to settle where we want, he explains.

And despite the dense cloud cover over the jagged mountains outside this fall day, Fredd Wilsgård sees no dark clouds over the industry.

– It can be challenging to get a workforce, but that is why we invest so much in creating a vibrant society. We want people to come live and prosper here, and not travel, he says.

Threatening the future also implies plans for even more activity.

– We would like to use residual raw material and have plans on the drawing board. Also, we would like a development license that secures today’s jobs and can create many new ones. But so far we have been rejected, he says.

But Wilsgård will not give up.

– At a time when population development is negative, we need an activity that can have domino effects. And then we have to make sure we don’t compete for the same areas as the fishermen, he says.

Knowing that it was precisely traditional fishing that gave rise to most of the settlement in the Senja fjords.