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He was born and raised in Bislett in Oslo. But for Per Theodor, nothing is better than the sound of boiling fish on the net.
TAU (Nettavisen Økonomi): In the summer of 2019, Per Theodor Magnussen Halvorsen received the message he had been waiting for. Parents thought it was a bit early for a 16-year-old to move to the other side of the country. Friends thought it was a bit awkward. But “Theo” just had to fish.
And so the Oslo boy left the capital for Stavanger, took the ferry for 35 minutes and moved into a bedroom. If he wanted to fulfill his dream of becoming a fisherman, he would have to go fishing and fishing at Strand High School.
– I didn’t really know what I was looking for. For someone from the city, it was a shock to move here. They only have two stores here. But I thrive very well. I’m not nostalgic, says Halvorsen.
Both father and brother are electricians. Halvorsen really thought the same. But there was something about fish and the feeling of fishing then. During the workweek in high school, he went with a shrimp fisherman to the Oslo fjord.
– It was hard, but the experience gave it more flavor. Fishing was something he enjoyed and mastered. And then we have a lot of shrimp, says the Bislett boy.
A dramatic family history
Since then, Theo hasn’t looked back. On the fishing line at Strand VGS, the 17-year-old basically learns the ABCs of deep sea anglers and has had the opportunity to try his hand at placement. He fished markel and eye rod on a boat in the North Sea for three weeks, and for five weeks Halvorsen took part in the legendary cod fishery in the north.
– Being a fisherman in Lofoten was difficult and incredibly fun. I long to go back all the time, says the student.
Halvorsen’s immediate family can make a living as electricians in eastern Norway, but Theo is convinced that what flows through his years is true fisherman’s blood. Dyrøya’s grandmother worked as a cook for a shark in Lofoften. Both great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather were fishermen in Finnmark, with the latter two dying at sea in two different episodes.
– I am not dissuaded. Fishing is a bit difficult and exciting. Little can beat the adrenaline rushing through the body when the net is pulled out of the water, and I hear the sound of boiling fish, says Halvorsen.
After trying in both the North Sea, Lofoten and the Oslo Fjord, the obsession has only grown stronger. Halvorsen is fascinated by Deadliest Catch on television and talks a lot with his classmates about his own experiences and those of others at sea. The kind of fisherman he ends up being has really little to say for Halvorsen.
– As long as I can be a fisherman, I’m happy. I like the feeling of being in the sea, pulling the fish and feeling it fly. You feel alive. And then there is a break from city life. I like it best in the sea, says the boy from Oslo.
Record progress
Interest in the fishing profession has grown considerably in recent years. Around 250 students applied for fishing and capture lines in Norway for the 20/21 school year, 115 more than the previous year. Two years ago, there were six applicants for 12 school places at Strand Upper Secondary School; last year there were 22 applicants.
Per Theodor Magnussen Halvorsen is Oslo’s first student on the Strand line, according to subject teacher Torfinn Idsø. He appreciates the growing interest of young people.
– Fantastic. It shows that young people are applying for traditional professions again, and I think that’s great, says Idsø.
After the summer, 17-year-old Halvorsen and his fellow students are scheduled to enter working life as apprentices. To obtain a certificate as a fisherman, you must go through a two-year apprenticeship and pass the trade and official test.
Halvorsen has applied for an apprenticeship on individual boats from Agder in the south to Troms and Finnmark in the north. There are a limited number of places and competition among students is fierce. The boy from Oslo hopes that someone will take him in and that he can take the next step in what he hopes is a long working life at sea.
– I focus on being a fisherman my entire career. One day I want my own boat. I want to save and work during free periods so I can get advice. Fishing is hard work, but at the same time it doesn’t seem like work. I don’t regret moving and starting here in Strand, says Halvorsen.
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