Skrova


Skrova is a small island group and village area in Vågan Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The Skrova island group in the Lofoten archipelago, about southeast of the town of Svolvær. It is located in the Vestfjorden, south of the islands of Austvågøya, Litlmolla, and Stormolla. The largest island in the group is Storskrova and the island of Heimskrova is where most of the population is located. The six main inhabited islands in the group are all interconnected by a small bridge and several man-made causeways.
Skrova Lighthouse is located in the southwestern part of the island ground. It was established in 1922 and not fully automated until 2005. There is also a meteorological weather station in the island group.

Village

The fishing village of Skrova lies on the northern part of the island group. It exists mostly on the island of Heimskrova, but also includes parts of five other islands, including the northwestern edge of the large islands of Skrova. The village is connected to the town of Svolvær and the village of Skutvika by regularly scheduled ferry routes. The village has a population of 182, with nearly all the residents living in the village and the rest of the island group being virtually uninhabited.
The village gained privileged trading rights in 1760, and for a long time, it was the largest fishing village in Lofoten.

Industry

The main industry in Skrova is fishing, fish farming, and whaling. It is one of the largest whaling stations in Norway, taking in about half of the whale meat in Norway each year. The heyday of Skrova was in the 1970s and 1980s, when fishing and whaling were booming. Since the year 2000, there is now only one fishing factory, called Ellingsen's.

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