A progressive and Pioneering Fisherman

"...a progressive and pioneering fisherman all his life. He learned seamanship early on aboard his father's fishing and pilot boats. As soon as he finished school he started his fishing career...He was always among the first when new fishing methods were introduced to help improve the life of a fisherman."

You might think that's a quote about my husband, Rich- it certainly sounds like him. He started fishing right after college and has definitely been a pioneer in the industry.

 

But nope, it's not Rich

 

It sounds a lot like my dad, Art. He had a long fishing career after graduating from UW. He broke in on the family's traditional Norwegian boats, moved up to captain of the Alrita, and was active in legislation for the quota system that improved both sustainability and the lives of fishermen.

 

No, it's not my dad either. 

 

It could easily be about my Grandpa, Lars Jangaard. He emigrated from Norway in 1939 and started commercial fishing with his brothers, owning several boats and fishing up and down the entire west coast for halibut and tuna.

 

It's not Lars though.

 

The quote above is from the obituary of my Great Grandfather, Hans Jangaard. He lived in Valderoy, Norway (1872-1973) and had 14 children. 8 of his 9 sons (Kristian, Sigurd, Olaf, Hans, Sverre, Lars, Karsten, and Otto) emigrated to the United States where they bought boats and commercially fished as a large family business along the Pacific Coast. His youngest son, Peter stayed in Norway. 4 of his 5 daughters (Anna, Signy, Martha, and Bergitte) married and stayed in Norway, but Laura married a fisherman and they emigrated to the US and he fished with the brothers. 

 

I was young, but I remember my Grandpa Lars and his fisherman brothers. They all had heavy Norwegian accents and were usually chuckling at a joke you couldn't quite understand. Their lives were very interconnected and revolved around fishing and boats.

 

But there were 4 daughters and 1 son that I've never known - the ones that stayed in Norway. Peter is a bit of a mystery. I can't find his profession, only that he was married, had 3 kids, and died at age 69 in Assgardsstrand, Norway. However, the 4 daughters of Hans stayed very close to home. They all grew up on Valderoy, a very small island, and raised families in Valdery and  Aalesund, the neighboring town.

And here's the super exciting part...our family (3 generations - my parents, sisters, and the grandkids) are all traveling to Norway this month!

 

We are so beyond belief excited and humbled for this opportunity to experience our heritage, see the country, and meet our long distant Norwegian relatives. 

 

Our first stop is Aalesund, where we will be met by family and taken through an underground tunnel to the very small island of Valdery...where it all began.

 

We will be in Norway for the rest of July, and I will be keeping you updated and posting pictures throughout our trip.

 

Be sure to follow along on Instagram @senasea_seafoods.