Around Bulandet, windswept Islands naturally stand strong against tides and currents. This magnificent fishing community comprises more than 300 islands, islets and reefs, of which only 15 are inhabited.
Rooted in Origin
As far west as one can get in Norway, on the edge of the ocean gap, the Bue Islands have long been shaped by tides and currents. Going right back, the Norse use of ‘Búi’ meant ‘settled’. The name derived from the old fishing huts of the early settlers, who came in numbers to the Bue Islands from the mainland during the rich fishing seasons.
Permanent settlement traces a long way back too. A fishing community on the Bue Islands is named in the ancient saga of Egil Skallagrimsson. The strategic location of the islands on the old sailing routes along the coast and across the sea has made the Bue Islanders opportunity-seeking and outward-looking.
Fish provided a livelihood for generations of the islanders – who have made a living by working with and against the forces of nature. Fish are still a way of life, but times have changed. Today, the Bue Islanders raise salmon, instead of catching them out at sea. They still do things their own way, however, and the fish still swim in and against the ocean current, as they always have.