In Austevoll, Norway, there are 667 islands, only eight are populated year-round. The administrative centre is the village of Storebø on the island of Huftarøy. Other villages include Årland, Austevollshella, Bakkasund, Bekkjarvik, Birkeland, Haukanes, Husavik, Kolbeinsvik, Otterå, Våge, and Vinnes.

The municipality consists of several islands located southwest of the city of Bergen. The municipality is considered to be among the ports in the world with the largest ocean-going fishing trawler fleet. Since the 1980s, the offshore oil industry and fish farming industry have both grown to be important industries in Austevoll.

Since the early 1980s, the offshore supply industry has emerged in the wake of the offshore Norwegian oil industry. The offshore shipping company DOF, which is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, has its headquarters at Storebø.

Fishing is the most important industry in Austevoll, as it has been for centuries. Traditionally, fishing has taken place in coastal areas, not far off shore. After decades of overfishing, the herring disappeared in the 1950s. This forced a restructuring of the fishing fleet.

Since the 1960s, the shipping companies built bigger ships, and went further out into the seas, and they began fishing for other fish species, not just herring. The overfishing of herring also forced better research on fishing, resulting in the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. Austevoll is the home of the Austevoll Aquaculture Research Station.

Austevoll Seafood has operations in Storebø. Ole Rasmus Møgster built up Austevoll Seafood (which Ole Rasmus controlled, as a major owner and chairman of the board) with his brother Helge Møgster. They also built DOF ASA (which Helge controlled). In 2008 the brothers were two of the three billionaires who were active in the Norwegian fishing industry. The third billionaire was Kjell Inge Røkke.

Bekkjarvik village is located on the northeastern coast of the island of Selbjørn. The village is an old trading post, with an inn that has been in operation since the 1600s. There was also a barrel factory. Today, the inn is still in operation and most of the economy centers around the seasonal fishing industry. Bekkjarvik Church has been located in this village since 1895. The Selbjørn Bridge runs from Bekkjarvik across a small strait to the nearby island of Huftarøy.

Norway and Ørjan Johannessen clinched this year´s gold medal in the Bocuse d´Or – a contest often dubbed the World Cup of chefs. France faced gastronomic humiliation after it failed to make the podium on home soil in what is considered the world´s premier cooking championship. Johannessen, with a background as a chef for Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri and Mathuset Solvold, he was coached by previous bronze Bocuse d´Or medallist Odd Ivar Solvold and his commis was Jimmy Øien.