Wildlife and the State of the Oslofjord

The honest version: this fjord is in trouble, and the authorities have said so with their rules. Cod fishing has been banned in the Oslofjord since 2019 and indefinitely since January 2023 — all cod fishing, commercial and recreational, with catch-and-release required, inside the baseline from Vestfold and Telemark to the Swedish border, year-round. Havforskningsinstituttet reports the cod stock in decline and at a historically low level, and that in several basins the oxygen in the bottom water falls so low that all life dies. We are not going to promise you wildlife from a sightseeing deck.

Cod fishingBanned since 2019

Made indefiniteJanuary 2023

Catch and releaseRequired

From 1 October 2025Hand-held gear only

From 1 January 2026Three zero-fishing zones

Deep-water oxygenIn several basins, all life dies

The sill, again

The threshold at Drøbak is only about 19 m deep, and behind it the basins drop to about 160 m. Water in those basins does not exchange freely with the sea; it sits, and it renews only when conditions outside push heavier water over the lip. NIVA has documented that deep-water renewal cycle in Bunnefjorden, the innermost basin. When renewal does not happen, the oxygen at the bottom runs down, and in several basins it runs down far enough that everything living in the deep water dies. Why the sill is the whole story.

The rules, in order

2019. Cod fishing banned in the Oslofjord.
January 2023. The ban made indefinite: all cod fishing, commercial and recreational, catch-and-release required, inside the baseline from Vestfold and Telemark to the Swedish border, all year.
1 October 2025. Recreational fishing restricted to hand-held gear. Fish traps cut from twenty to ten per person, lobster traps from ten to five, shrimp traps banned outright, from Telemark to the Swedish border.
1 January 2026. Commercial gear restrictions, plus three nullfiskeområder — zero-fishing zones, where all fishing is banned — in the inner fjord and at Færder and Ytre Hvaler national parks.

What you will actually see from a boat

Gulls, other boats, and a working port. That is the honest list. A sightseeing cruise on the inner Oslofjord is not a wildlife trip and no operator here sells it as one; anything you do see is a bonus rather than an itinerary item. Booking a fjord cruise for animals is the second commonest mistaken expectation on this water, after expecting Geiranger. The first one.

Insider tip

If the state of the fjord is what interests you, the boat to take is a quiet one, and there is exactly one where you can ask a person about it rather than listen to a recording.

The quiet boat, with somebody to ask

Two hours from Rådhusbrygge 2 on a hybrid-electric boat with three open decks and two heated saloons — the only live-guided city cruise in this catalogue, in English only, 4.7 from about 2,079 reviews.

Check availability & book

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Frequently asked questions

Can you fish in the Oslofjord?

Not for cod. The ban has run since 2019 and was made indefinite in January 2023, covering all commercial and recreational cod fishing with catch-and-release required, year-round. From 1 October 2025 recreational fishing is restricted to hand-held gear, and from 1 January 2026 three zero-fishing zones apply. Swimming is a separate question.

What wildlife can you see on an Oslofjord cruise?

Realistically, seabirds. This is a working harbour in an inner fjord, not a wildlife excursion, and no cruise here is sold as one. What the route does show you.

Is the Oslofjord polluted?

The problem is more specific than pollution in general: the shallow sill at Drøbak means the deep basins renew their water slowly, and Havforskningsinstituttet reports that in several of them the oxygen in the bottom water falls so low that all life dies. The cod stock is described as in decline and at a historically low level. The fjord’s structure.