Area: 7 km²
Location: South of the Froan Nature Reserve, County of Trøndelag, Norway
Number of inhabitants: 200
Number of visitors: 54,000 per year
Protected island: no
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Mausund is a fishing village located in Frøya Municipality, Trøndelag County, and is the largest fishing community south of the Lofoten archipelago.
GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION
The village of Mausund, located south of the Froan nature reserve, extends over 4 small islands, linked together by bridges: Måøya, Gårdsøya, Geitøya and Aursøyan.
Connections with other Norwegian islands are provided by sea shuttles.
SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT
The first traces of occupation of Mausund date back to the Stone Age. From the 17th century until the beginning of the 20th century, the village belonged to several families successively. The population increased between the 19th century and the end of the Second World War.
A wooden building, built in 1939, has housed the Måøy Chapel since 1975.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
The village lives mainly from fishing and the processing of fish products. Its economic development took place after the Second World War, thanks to the export of fish and the local food industry, and the fishing activity is currently developing again after a few years of decline.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT
The village of Mausund is located south of the Froan Nature Reserve, which includes more than a thousand islands and is home to a very rich biodiversity.
However, the islands of the village are located within sea currents which bring large quantities of waste from other regions of the world. Aquaculture activities are also a source of pollution.
SPECIFIC CHALLENGES
The pollution brought by sea currents is one of the main challenges. Awareness campaigns, clean-ups and guided tours are organised by local organisations such as Eider As Mausund Feltstasjon to tackle this challenge.
