What do provide us?
 Fisheries and reindeer - oil and mining:
Natural resources abound i Finnmark, on land and in the ocean. Exploitation and export of fish resources in the Barents Sea is vital for employment and habitation in the North. Other important fields are reindeer husbandry and agriculture.
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Anne Sofie Nielsen
15.08.2007 12:54
The very cornerstone of habitation in Finnmark is the fishing industry. The fishing fleet consists of small and large vessels that all contribute to habitation and employment along the Finnmark coast. Although more raw material is being landed now than in the past, improved technology and efficiency over the past 10-20 years, have led to a marked decrease in the number of fish processing plants and fishing vessels. A challenging task will be to develop better fish products that will satisfy increasing demands from abroad and in Norway.
Reindeer herding is intrinsic to Sami culture and identity. In Finnmark more than 2000 people are somehow associated with reindeer husbandry, a number that has been stable for a while, although the number of units as well as the number of reindeer has decreased. Pasture and the quality of grazing land are the most basic form of capital in this type of business. Depleted pastures in many areas have complicated matters, and herds have had to be cut back from 200 000 head in 1988/89 to 103 000 head in 2001.
Finnmark is one of the most tantalising destinations in Europe. The county's unique nature and culture are a challenge as well as an opportunity for the travel industry. Among strategic aims for Finnmark's travel industry in 2000-2005 it is envisaged that "Finnmark should be an attractive destination all year round, that it should have a clear cut and unambiguous image based on arctic food and culture." Developing a basis for winter tourism is just as important as increasing the flow of tourists to Finnmark during the summer season.
A major challenge in years to come will be to exploit petroleum and gas in the area. It is eagerly anticipated that the development of the Snøhvit plant on Melkøya outside Hammerfest will lead to economic development that will filter through to other business sectors, generating growth and boosting employment and population in the county.
There is also great potential within aquaculture, where new licences can be issued for salmon farming and where other marine species such as shellfish and whitefish can also be farmed.
On the island Stjernøya in Alta, and in Tana there are mines where nepheline syenite, Alta slate and quartzite are extracted. In South Varanger and Kautokeino there is no longer any mining activity.
Unemployment is somewhat higher in Finnmark than elsewhere in the country. In central Finnmark it is very high. A number of important companies folded in or suffered heavy layoffs towards the end of the nineties and beginning of the new millennium. This mostly affected the Postal Services, the telephone company Telenor and the military service.
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