Cod is cash

“For centuries, fishing has been a key source of income and important part of the culture along the Norwegian coastline,” the Central Bank of Norway explains when telling about the motif on the new 200-krone note to be issues next spring.

It was the search for rich fishing waters which brought the very first settlers to the Norwegian coast about 11 000 years ago. They found what they were looking for. Cod is still highly important for Norway’s economy and settlements along the coastline, especially in the high north.

Last year, Norway exported cod worth 7,9 billion kroner (€873 million), external trade figures from Statistics Norway show.

Export value is one side of the story; the importance for Norwegian dinner tables another. 

The reverse side of the 200-krone note shows a fishing boat in the horizon, fishing net and a sea-mark on the waves. Norwegians have a special relationship to fishing and seafood.

Few countries consume more fish per capita then Norway.

Then, time will show if this is the very last 200-krone note to be printed. Few other countries use less cash than Norwegians sitting in business-class on the road towards an electronic money society.  

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