See the last salmon King Harald caught

In the video you see three salmon. The salmon closest to the camera is the royal fish King Harald caught in June 2026. Clip: The Lærdal Wild Salmon Visitor Centre

King Harald had a very special relationship with Lærdal and The Lærdal River In June of this year he was back at the river he had been fishing in since 1951. It was to be his last fishing trip, and one of the salmon he caught can now be seen here. The Lærdal Wild Salmon Visitor Centre .

Here you can see King Harald fishing in Lærdal (screenshot). See the entire video at nrk.no.

Every year, prisoners The Lærdal Wild Salmon Visitor Centre live salmon that the public can see at the center throughout the season. In June 2026, King Harald participated in this fishing and caught one of the four salmon that are now at the center.

The salmon is a court fish and will remain at the center until the end of September. In October, it will be moved to the hatchery. There, the eggs will be fertilized and cared for until hatching, before the young salmon are fed and released according to plan. The Lærdal River summer 2027.

The courtfish is then released back into the river. If it survives the winter and another migration to the sea, it may be able to return to The Lærdal River to spawn again in a year or two.

75 years of The Lærdal River

King Harald fished in The Lærdal River for the first time in 1951. Over the course of 75 years he returned to Lærdal and salmon fished a number of times. It was also here that he caught his first, largest and last salmon.

Alf Olsen Jr. at The Lærdal Wild Salmon Visitor Centre was close to the last visit. He tells NRK about the last fishing trip and about King Harald's long and close relationship with The Lærdal River .

Read NRK's ​​story about King Harald and the last fishing trip in The Lærdal River →

The picture of the King at the center was taken in 2023. Photo: The Lærdal Wild Salmon Visitor Centre