The Lærdalselvi river was not supposed to be fished at all this summer, but Beckham surprisingly got an exemption from an official whose husband owns part of the river.
Former soccer star David Beckham’s a fishing trip in Norway has caused an aggravation. At the beginning of the week, Beckham went fishing for salmon on the well-known Lærdalselvi river, where salmon fishing has been prohibited since 2020.
The matter is told by, among others, a Norwegian Bergens Tidende and Swedish Aftonbladet.
Lærdalselvi has been a famous river especially among sports fishermen. After 2020, however, salmon fishing in the river has only been possible with a special permit, because so few fish have been caught in the river.
Obtaining a special permit has cost the fisherman about 1.4 million Norwegian kroner, or about 120,000 euros, and with it, he has been able to fish in the river for stock management reasons for a few days.
Beckham unexpectedly got an exception
It was close to missing Beckham’s fishing trip altogether.
For the year 2024, there were to be exceptionally no special permits, because the authorities prohibited their granting. The association that owns the river was shocked and demanded that the authorities reverse the decision.
Surprisingly, after Beckham applied for a permit, the authorities changed their minds, the permit was granted and the fishing trip was successful. It only took four days from applying for a permit to a positive decision.
The licensee’s husband owns part of the river
The official who suddenly gave permission, Liv Signe Navarsete, the validity of the case has been questioned. Doubts have been raised, for example, by the fact that Navarsete’s husband owns part of the river, for which Navarsete granted a special permit.
His subordinate complained to other officials about the matter and asked if Navarsete could make a decision on the matter.
Navarsete defended himself by text message Bergens Tidende. He said he did not know who applied for the permit. He wrote that he gave the permission because he believed that the previous negative decision was based on insufficient information.
In Navarsete’s opinion, her husband’s ownership of the river also does not matter, because the proceeds of the special permit go to the charitable foundation, not the owners.
The issue is still being discussed in Norway, and Navarsete has been moved aside from decision-making.
Beckham doesn’t seem to be sanctioned for the fishing trip. He has already flown away from the scene by helicopter.