ArcticKnows sets sail to Varangerfjord Norwegian pilot site

Fishing boat out on Varangerfjord with ArcticKnows researchers looking to see what’s at the end of the rainbow!

To mark the completion of the first year of ArcticKnows research, our consortium of research centres, universities and Arctic communities gathered together in the heart of one of the four pilot sites that act as the focal points to the project. On this occasion we were brilliantly hosted in the beautiful municipality of Nesseby at the end of the most easterly fjord (Varangerfjord) in Norway.

A Nesseby welcoming

Nesseby forms a significant centre for the Norwegian Sea Sámi, reflected in it’s housing of the Varanger Sami Museum (Várjjat Sámi Musea). It is also one of just 12 Norwegian municipalities that operates and delivers its services bilingually in Norwegian and Sámi. Huddled around Varangerfjord, in Finnmark county, the region has centred its gaze on the rich marine and coastal ecosystem that have long supported livelihoods and shaped the cultural identity of Sea Sámi communities. However, today livelihoods around Varangerfjord face multiple pressures. Climate change is affecting the Arctic coastal ecosystem, while fish stocks are also under pressure from external fishing fleets, tourism-related recreational fishing, aquaculture, renewable energy development, and wider demographic changes.

ArcticKnows ‘crew’ about to board fishing vessels in Nesseby

Varangerfjord research pilot site deep dive

Our meetings and discussions in the late summer of 2026, are just the latest in a long-lasting commitment to research and action around Varangerfjord. This has been driven by NOFIMA research team and built on through trusted links with local co-creative partners. In the spirit of blending local, indigenous and scientific knowledge the meeting moved between exchanges in

the administrative hub of the area in Varangerbotn / Võnabahta
moved out on to the fjord aboard a king crab fishing boat
came together with local stakeholders in the lively port of Bugøynes
and was guided around the important archaeological site of Mortensnes / Ceavccageađge

A variety of ways to consider the concept of ‘co-creation’

The sharing, and opening out of how our sites are approaching co-creation with different methods was further built upon within the project workshops. One of the challenges of using multiple sites, each with its own distinctive setting, has been to consider and identify cross-cutting issues and synergies. In the case of ArcticKnows pilot sites, our thoughts converged on; Regenerative economy pathways; local and indigenous knowledge valorising and applying; ways in to participation / modes of governance; and climate change, Gender & More-than-human dimensions in and across all of these issues. Thankfully, moving around Varangerfjord, sharing with and being introduced to various communities and stakeholders, allowed our discussions to instantly come alive and be inspired by immediate and local examples. There is nothing like the stimulus of first hand experiences through field visits and exchanges.

Long-term research relationships

Thanks to the long-standing connectivity and awareness between NOFIMA and the communities around Varangerfjord, our visit also coincided with one of the most important dates in the local social calendar – Vuonnamárkanat. This one-day traditional Sámi market presented within the grounds of the Varanger Sami Museum (Várjjat Sámi Musea), further enriched our sense of the local dynamic, and provided a perfect backdrop to the lively days coming together through the ArcticKnows project.

Varangerfjord (Norway)
Vindelälven-Juhttátahkka UNESCO Biosphere (Sweden)
Inari and Lake Inari (Finland)
Kujataa UNESCO WHS (Greenland)

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For more information on the ongoing research explored through ArcticKnows project, please visit: