Bjornar Skjaeran has replaced Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen as Norway's fisheries minister.

"It feels like a very, very big responsibility," said Skjaeran. "I come from the Helgeland coast, and know how much this industry means."

The new minister, a member of Norway's Labor Party, described his first day on the job as an "extreme" experience, and mentioned that among other things he had received several questions about women's working conditions on fishing boats, in light of a recent statement -- widely publicized in Norway-- from a Norwegian fisherwoman describing the dangerous environment the industry exposes women to.