1. Introduction Thorupstrand is a small coastal village located in northern Jutland and it is home to one of the few remaining small-scale fishing communities surviving in Denmark. The strong winds and heavy currents here make it impossible to build a port, as the sea bed is constantly reshaped. As a result, the boats must be pulled in and out of the sea every morning and “parked” along the shore when not in use, a spectacle that hundreds of visitors come to visit on a daily basis.
Fig 1. Site Map of Thorup Strand (Self produced).
This traditional industry has been running here for centuries, up until 2006 when the fishing quotas were privatized, severely damaging Denmark’s small-scale fishing industry and concentrating access to marine resources on a few hands (Slow foods, 2010). The fishermen united and created The Thorupstrand Coastal Fishermen’s Guild (Thorupstrand Kystfiskerlaug in Danish). The fishermen who join own and manage the catch quotas as a community, redistributing them to each member. The Thorupstrand fishermen use traditional and sustainable fishing techniques that are respectful to the fish species and the marine environment. The nets, for example, could legally have a smaller mesh, but their larger holes mean the fishers avoid catching undersized fish. However, the community has been seriously struggling over the last years to make a living and their traditional way of life is at serious risk of disappearing.
