The Municipality of Øksnes, far out in Vesterålen, covers the northern part of Langøya, Skogsøya and several smaller islands.
Øksnes is a typical fishing community, where trade and industry are centred on fishing. The fishing fleet comprises several trawlers, as well as a number of smaller vessels. Cod is the most important catch. The majority of Øksnes' fishing industry is located at Myre. Myre is also home to one of the country's foremost fish feed manufacturers, BioMar (Hydro). The municipality also has large fish farming facilities.
Agriculture is common, both as a main source of income and in combination with other occupatoins, particularly fishing and related industries. Some farms raise cattle, and quite a few raise sheep. Some fur farms.
Anda is a lighthouse on a small island north of Stø. Flatholmen in Steinlandsfjorden has one of the region's strangest burial sites with 15 graves in total, eight of which are in the shape of a boat. These graves are presumed to be from the Viking era. Skogsøya has Øksnes Church. This timber-framed cross-shaped church is originally from the 16th century, and was rebuilt in the 18th century. Langenes Church at Stø was built around the same time, and nearby are the remains of Langenes, which was the largest fishing village in Vesterålen in the 16th century. The main building at the old trading post Alsvåg, which has had inn privileges since 1769, is presumed to have been built around 1600. The traditional fishing village of Nyksund, north of Myre, was abandoned, but in recent years the buildings have been protected and restored, and some people have moved back. Øksnes Rural Museum is located in the old Alsvåg farmstead.
Øksnes' contribution to the "Footprints in the North" project is the fishing villages at Øksnes. Langenes, Nyksund, Myre and other fishing villages show how seasonal and year-round fishing has influenced settlement history in various time periods.
Fakta om Øksnes kommune
Navnet: Øksnes er etter gården Øksnes.
Beliggenhet: Øksnes ligger ytterst i Vesterålen i Nordland og omfatter nordre del av Langøya, samt en rekke mindre øyer. Kommunen grenser i sørvest til Bø og i nordøst til Sortland og Gavlfjorden.
Folketall 2021: 4 416.
Utstrekning: 320 km2. 13,8 innbyggere pr. km2.
Administrasjonssted: Myre.
Viktige næringer: Fiske og fiskeriforedling
Kommunehistorikk: Øksnes har vært selvstendig kommune siden opprettelsen i 1838. Et mindre område rundt bunnen av Jørnfjorden ble overført til Bø i 1866. I 1919 ble Langenes kommune skilt ut. Størstedelen av Langenes ble lagt inn under Øksnes kommune i 1964. Holmgrenda ble overført til Sortland. Samtidig ble Kråkberget krets av Øksnes - områdene vest og sør for Møklandsfjorden - overført til Bø.