Steinar Bastesen

Steinar Bastesen (26 March 1945 – 18 February 2024) was a Norwegian politician, fisherman and whaler. He was first elected to the Norwegian Storting in 1997 as an independent candidate, and in 1999 broke out and founded the Coastal Party (Kystpartiet). He headed the party from its founding until March 2005, when internal disparity among the members forced him to give up his leadership. Bastesen kept his seat in the Storting until the 2005 election six months later.^[1]

Steinar Bastesen was born on the island of Dønna to fisherman Ingvart Meyer Bastesen and housewife Karly Edvarda, née Edvardsen. He first participated in whaling with his father and in 1953, aged 8, and bought his first whaler ship in 1971 wen he was 26. Later the same year he received an award from the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue for rescuing people on a wrecked ship with his whaler ship during a severe storm.^[1] Bastesen became actively involved in local industry and politics in the late 1970s and later held elected positions in the organization for Norway's fishermen, Norges Fiskarlag, and in the sale's organization for fish, Norges Råfisklag. He was leader of an organization for whalers, Norges Småkvalfangerlag, from 1984 to 1996.^[1] In the 1980s he was active as a local politician for the Centre Party and later for the Conservative Party, before he later became a member of parliament for the Non-Partisan Deputies (1997–2001) and the Coastal Party (2001–2005).^[1] In 2005, he resigned from the leadership position after internal disputes, and was later dismissed from the party altogether in 2008. He briefly attempted a return to politics for the Non-Partisan Deputies in 2009, but failed to the required votes. He returned to the Coastal Party in 2017, but again failed to get enough votes to get elected.

Bastesen was best known for his vigorous advocacy of whaling, and usually appeared on television or at events wearing a seal-fur vest, which was met with controversy, especially abroad. While attending a trade convention in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1994, his vest was confiscated as it violated American import laws on whaling products, but was returned to him via mail two years later.^[2][3] In 1997, Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson claimed in an NRK interview that Bastesen had threatened to kill him. Bastesen vehemently denied the allegation, and sued NRK for defamation of character by letting the interview air. Bastesen won in the Oslo District Court, but lost in the appeal court in 2002 as the court found that Watson's accusation was of journalistic interest.^[4]

In 1998, Bastesen said that the whale Keiko, known from the Free Willy films, should be killed and the meat sent to Africa as foreign aid. This was his response to hearing that millions of dollars were being spent on preparing the whale for returning to the wild.^[5]

Bastesen struggled with health issues for the last decades of his life, which he later said was a result of an unhealthy lifestyle, excessive drinking, and overworking himself.^[6] In late 2001, he suffered a series of strokes that left him hospitalized for several months and during the first weeks it was unclear whether or not he would survive, but he eventually made a full recovery. In 2009, he again suffered a minor stroke while celebrating his 64th birthday, but recovered quickly. Soon after was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but made a full recovery. Bastesen began exercising and changing his lifestyle to avoid further health issues, losing 30 kgs (66 lbs) of weight.

Bastesen died in a drowning accident near his home on 18 February 2024, at the age of 78.^[7]

• Hans Bauge