The Coastal Sámi of Norway and their rights to traditional marine livelihood

Abstract

The coastal Sámi of Norway have, for thousands of years and long before the Norwegian state was established, relied on a wide range of marine and terrestrial resources. Due to increased public regulations over the past few decades, it has become difficult to continue their traditional livelihood, combining fishery in local seawaters with husbandry or other local industries on land. Fish quotas have been made tradable, and so to a large extent transferred outside the local communities. This article presents a short historical background, and discusses two legal documents from the 18th century, which are relevant for coastal fishery rights in northernmost Norway. The first is the Lapp Codicil of 1751, which may pertain to the coastal Sámi today when its founding principle – the preservation of the “Lappish Nation” (Sámi Nation) – is duly considered. The other document is the Land Acquisition Decree of 1775, which included a formalization of the sea-fishing rights of the inhabitants of Finnmark.