Esbjerg fishing port is seeing fish landed again after more than two decades, as Port Esbjerg (Esbjerg Havn) seeks to reconnect the city’s maritime identity with the wider European blue economy. Fish were landed at the harbour again in June, 24 years after Esbjerg held its last fish auction in 2002.
Fish landings return to Esbjerg harbour
For much of the 20th century, Esbjerg was one of Denmark’s most important fishing ports. The city is still widely associated with fish, even though its role in Danish fisheries declined sharply after the last auction closed in 2002.
The return of fish landings is part of a broader strategy by Port Esbjerg to make the harbour relevant again to the fishing industry in the North Sea. According to port director (havnedirektør) Dennis Jul Pedersen, the harbour has removed a 1.5 percent value fee on fish landings to attract vessels back to Esbjerg.
“We removed the 1.5 percent value fee. We did that to be able to cooperate with the fishers here in the North Sea,” Pedersen told TV 2. “It is therefore not something we earn much money from, but we are helping to renew fisheries.”
The port argues that landing fish closer to the fishing grounds can also reduce the need for longer transport routes.
A renewed role in Denmark’s blue economy
The decision is also linked to Esbjerg’s existing industrial base. The port is home to TripleNine Esbjerg A/S, a company producing fishmeal and fish oil used in products such as fish feed.
Pedersen described the sector as a Danish strength. “The world’s most advanced fishmeal factory is located here at Port Esbjerg, and it is important for us to preserve it,” he said.
TripleNine was founded in Esbjerg in 1948 by local fishers and is now one of the world’s leading suppliers of fishmeal and fish oil for aquaculture, agriculture and pet food. Its presence gives Esbjerg a link between traditional fisheries and the fast-growing marine ingredients sector.
The harbour is waiting for final approvals that would allow more fish to be landed there. Once these are in place, Port Esbjerg expects to receive larger volumes.
Esbjerg looks to EU maritime funding
The port’s strategy also reflects a wider shift in European policy. The blue economy has become a priority area for the European Union, covering fisheries, aquaculture, marine biotechnology, maritime transport, offshore energy and coastal communities.
Pedersen said Esbjerg wants to take part in these changes. “Fisheries are part of the blue economy, which is receiving major attention in the EU. At the moment, for example, it is possible to apply for support for projects worth up to two billion euros,” he said.
For Esbjerg, this could mean combining its established position in offshore energy and logistics with a more active role in fisheries, marine ingredients and sustainable maritime production.
A smaller fleet than in Esbjerg’s fishing peak
The return of fish landings does not mean that Esbjerg is returning to the scale of its fishing peak. In 1970, the harbour had 370 industrial trawlers and 230 seine cutters. Together, the 600 vessels employed more than 2,000 fishers.
Today, fishing activity is much smaller. Around ten active shrimp vessels remain at the harbour, and shrimp fishing never disappeared entirely from Esbjerg.
Still, the return of fish landings carries symbolic and economic weight for a city whose identity has long been tied to the sea. The renewed smell of fish in Esbjerg is not just nostalgia. It points to a possible new role for the harbour within Denmark’s maritime economy and the EU’s attempt to make the blue economy more sustainable, competitive and locally rooted.
