Norway is going to help us find ways to increase hilsa production. The country is collaborating with the central government’s department of science and technology (DST) for research on hilsa . The state government has also decided to pitch in with funds for the project. Nofima, a Norwegian institute for food, fisheries and aquaculture research, will work with the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), India, to research hilsa. “Our institute Nofima has been working on salmon production for 45 years and they have expertise in aquaculture,” said ambassador Nils Ragmar Kamsvag, a fan of the silver fish. Kamsvag was in Serampore on Wednesday to attend the inauguration of the Denmark Tavern, restored under the Serampore Initiative, a collaboration between the National Museum of Denmark, West Bengal Heritage Commission, West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd, Intach and the Hooghly district. Salmon and the hilsa have a lot in common – both are sea fish that breed in freshwater. “I learnt about the hilsa when I first visited the state several years ago. I met the then secretary of fisheries here, who along with a couple of biology professors told me about the popularity of fish in this state. We have that in common. Norwegians also love their fish,” said Kamsvag, while resting at the restored heritage canteen on the Governor’s House compound in Serampore. Norway exports eight billion dollars worth salmon every year. “We are the second biggest exporters of fish in the world,” he said. “Our researchers will help you solve the problem of breeding hilsa. We have a lot of expertise on fish management too. We could easily share that.” “Our researchers at Nofima are confident that their expertise will help multiply hilsa and increase production. It has already done so with the Bangladesh government,” the ambassador said. Kamsvag was visiting the state along with four other Nordic ambassadors – Peter Taksøe-Jensen of Denmark, Nina Vaskunlahti of Finland, Thorir Ibsen of Iceland, and Klas Molin of Sweden. “As a Nordic group, we travel once a year to a state in India to explore possibilities of economic cooperation. We have 27 million inhabitants in our countries and we form the 11th biggest economy in the world. We have between 500 to 600 Nordic companies investing 20 billion dollars in India which have created 200,000 jobs,” Kamsvag said. Danish ambassador Peter Taksøe-Jensen announced a scholarship of Rs 18 lakh for Serampore College. All six ambassadors exhorted the students to travel to the Nordic countries to study. “Our education is free. Even international students are not charged tuition fees in our countries,” said Taksoe-Jensen.