Following this publication, the authorities of a Member State or of a third country, or a natural or legal person having a legitimate interest and established or resident in a third country, may lodge, in accordance with Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) an opposition with the Commission within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Norrlandsströmming’

EU NO: PDO-SE-03051 – 18.12.2023

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s) (of PDO or PGI)

‘Norrlandsströmming’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Sweden

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 1.7. Fresh fish, molluscs, and crustaceans and products derived therefrom

Combined Nomenclature code

03 FISH AND CRUSTACEANS, MOLLUSCS AND OTHER AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES

0302 – Fish, fresh or chilled, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading 0304

0303 – Fish, frozen, excluding fish fillets and other fish meat of heading 0304

0304 – fish fillets and other fish meat (whether or not minced), fresh, chilled or frozen

3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

‘Norrlandsströmming’ refers to wild-caught Clupea harengus from the geographical area in the Bothnian Sea and the Bay of Bothnia. The fish is normally between 12 and 20 cm long and silvery, but the size may vary. The fish must be caught either with passive gear such as gillnets, entangling nets, handlines and pound nets or with jigging equipment. In addition, the fish must be landed and sorted within 24 hours of the fishing gear being emptied.

‘Norrlandsströmming’ can be sold whole or filleted.

Nutritional content per 100 g

Energy (kcal): 100-150

Fat (g): 4-8

Protein (g): 15-22

The texture and taste of ‘Norrlandsströmming’ are influenced both by the fat content and by the fatty acid composition, where C20 and C16 monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as palmitic acid, predominate.

The organoleptic characteristics of ‘Norrlandsströmming’ can be summarised as follows:

Aroma: As raw: Dark tarn, seaweed, tar, broth, umami. After frying: seaweed, earthy, herbaceous, buttery.

Texture: As raw: solid to crispy, with fine chewing resistance. After frying: soft, smooth and melting.

Flavour: As raw: Mild taste with a large body of umami with hints of lake, unwhipped cream, egg white, green asparagus and mussels. After frying: large body of round umami with buttery notes, nettles, green asparagus, eggs and matured cheese.

The colour of the meat is slightly transparent, with a pink hue. Cooked, the meat becomes white or grey-white.

3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

—

3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

‘Norrlandsströmming’ can be chilled ungutted. It may also be gutted and then chilled or frozen, or cut into fillets and then chilled. The fillets may also be frozen. All operations must take place in the geographical area.

Whole (not filleted) ‘Norrlandsströmming’ may not be frozen outside the geographical area if it is to be sold under the name ‘Norrlandsströmming’.

3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

—

3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

In addition to the information required by law, every batch of ‘Norrlandsstströmming’ must be labelled with the date of catch and the fisherman’s ID number.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The geographical area consists of the Swedish parts of the Bothnian Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia, bounded to the south by the mouth of the Dalälven river and a straight eastern line to the boundary of the Swedish Economic Zone. To the east, the area is delimited by the Swedish economic zone and to the north by the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. The land area, up to one kilometre from the coastline, from Haparanda in the north to the mouth of the Dalälven river in the south, is also part of the geographical area.

5.   Link with the geographical area

The link between the geographical area and the characteristics of ‘Norrlandsströmming’ is based on both the area’s natural conditions and human factors.

Natural conditions

The Bothnian Sea and the Bay of Bothnia, together with the Baltic Sea, form the world’s largest brackish sea, where the water is a mixture of ocean salt water and the fresh water of lakes and rivers. The salt in the Bothnian Sea and the Bay of Bothnia originates from the inflow of salt water via the Öresund and the Belts into the Baltic Sea, but also depends on the continued inflow past the Åland Islands. The inflow of salt water into the Bothnian Sea and the Bay of Bothnia varies from year to year depending on the wind and weather. The flow of fresh water from the rivers of Norrland further dilutes the salinity. The salinity is clearly lower in the area north of the Åland Sea, i.e. from the southern boundary of the geographical area northwards.

The especially low salinity, together with factors such as water temperature and food, mean that the herring stocks in the Bothnian Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia show genetic and morphological differences compared to Atlantic and Baltic herring from the Baltic proper, even though they are part of the same species (Clupea harengus). For example, the herring along the coast of Norrland has fewer vertebrae than the herring along the coasts of Svealand and Götaland. The particularly low salinity of the geographical area means that ‘Norrlandsströmming’ is smaller in size and has a taste and texture that are significantly different from that of herring in the Baltic proper. Unlike other herring, ‘Norrlandsströmming’ has a mild yet rich umami taste, with hints of lake, unwhipped cream, egg white, green asparagus, and mussels when raw.

The differences in taste and texture are due to differences in fatty acid composition. The taste of ‘Norrlandsströmming’ depends on the fat content and fatty acid composition, which is dominated by C20 and C16 monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as palmitic acid. This fatty acid composition is thought to be due to higher levels of diatoms in the Bothnian Sea and Gulf of Bothnia which affect the composition of the food chain. The fat and fatty acid content vary over the fishing season and depending on where the herring is caught. Compared to herring from the southern Baltic Sea, the brackish water of the Bothnian Sea and Bay of Bothnia with its gradually decreasing salinity leads to slower growth with less fat – typically 4-8 % in the muscle. The low fat content of ‘Norrlandsströmming’ affects consistency and mouthfeel. A direct consequence is that it is particularly suited to preservation by fermentation to make ‘surströmming’. The taste of ‘Norrlandsströmming’ is similar to that of an inland fish rather than a sea fish.

Human Factors

The taste of ‘Norrlandsströmming’ is influenced by other factors in addition to those relating to its unique habitat and genetics:

—	in-depth knowledge of the biotope,

—	fast landing after catch,

—	focus on quality and sustainable fishing with low impact gear.

In order to catch herring of the right maturity, quality and in sufficient quantity to be economically viable, and at the same time as part of the long-term management of fish stocks, fishers need deep knowledge of the local waters and important fishing grounds. This is particularly important as many of the herring stocks are local. Because the fisheries are on a small scale, the fish can also be landed and sorted in a way that lends the product a certain quality and reputation in the marketing chain. Fishing for ‘Norrlandsströmming’ is traditionally carried out using ‘herring drift nets’, but other passive gear is also used.

The reputation of ‘Norrlandsströmming’ also largely reflects the very fundamental cultural history of the product in the area, as a key species for the area’s ecology, history and gastronomy. There is significant local variation in herring fishing along the coast and in the archipelagos, which requires knowledge and experience built up over centuries and passed down between generations of fishermen whose livelihoods were dependent on herring fishing.

There is a centuries-old tradition of commercial fishing for ‘Norrlandsströmming’, starting with fishermen from the town of Gävle. These fishermen began to move northwards in the 15th century with their ‘haxe’ ships, i.e. two-masted fully or half-decked sailing ships that were owned by multiple fishermen. The Gävle fishermen’s trips increased significantly from 1557, when Gustav Vasa gave them a monopoly to fish along the coast of Norrland in return for paying every tenth barrel of fish in tax to the State. The fishermen are believed to have operated out of 87 harbours (fishing villages), from Hälsingland in the south to Granön and Holm(arna) in Grundsunda in the north. These fishing villages include: Skagshamn, Skeppsmalm, Grisslan, Trysunda, Ulvöhamn, Sandviken, Marviksgrunnan, Norrfällsviken, Bönhamn, Fällvikshamnen, Berghamn and Storön. A clear remnant of the Gävle fishermen’s heyday is Ulvö chapel, which is Norrland’s oldest dated building, constructed in 1622.

In 1944 the zoologist and writer Carl Fries referred to the High Coast as the ‘Strömmingskusten’ (or ‘Herring Coast’) to emphasise the importance of herring fishing for that part of Sweden. A notable feature of the landscape along the coast of Norrland is the land uplift. Many fishing villages and harbours have become unviable because of uplift of almost 1 cm a year. The High Coast has the highest coastline in Sweden and has therefore not been as severely affected by the uplift as neighbouring, more low-lying coastal areas.

As ‘Norrland strömming’ has been caught and cooked since ancient times in the area in question, it has been at the heart of food security not only for people along the coasts but also for large parts of the inland population. For the coastal population, ‘Norrlandsströmming’ was historically the main food consumed. In order to preserve the fish and enable it to be saved or traded, it was salted, fermented or preserved in vinegar with or without spices.

‘Norrlandsströmming’ has had a major influence on the gastronomy along Sweden’s long north-eastern coast. It has been prepared using a wide range of methods: fried, smoked, boiled, pickled, salted etc. It is both a fish for everyday consumption and also an essential element of any Christmas meal. In the north, gutted ‘Norrlandsströmming’ is often coated in a little flour and fried, then eaten immediately sandwiched between two slices of buttered flatbread. This is regarded as a popular delicacy.

‘Norrlandsströmming’ forms an important part of the gastronomic heritage of Sweden and Norrland and even today has major regional importance, which is both profitable and contributes to a vibrant rural area and thriving tourism industry. The Norrland coast is home to small-scale commercial fisheries with sales largely based on ‘Norrlandsströmming’ products with a clear regional identity. These products include ‘saltströmming’ (salted herring, Hälsingland), ‘lökströmming’ (onion herring, Hälsingland), ‘böckling’ (smoked herring, Gästrikland), ‘surströmming’ (fermented herring, Hälsingland, Medelpad and Ångermanland), ‘brunnen strömming’ (fermented herring, Norrbotten) and ‘sotare’ (fried herring, Gästrikland and Hälsingland).

Reference to publication of the specification

https://www.livsmedelsverket.se/globalassets/foretag-regler-kontroll/livsmedelsinformation-markning-halsopastaenden/skyddade-beteckningar/ansokan-skyddad-ursprungsbeteckning-norrlandsstromming-rev-250308.pdf

---

(1)  Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (OJ L, 2024/1143, 23.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1143/oj).