Norway increased seafood exports by 9% year-on-year to NOK 44bn ($4.2bn) in January-March, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council.
This is a record figure for the first quarter.
In particular, salmon shipments rose 6% to 29.5 billion kroner (more than 285,16,000 tonnes).
“The first quarter was characterised by increased salmon exports, high prices for cod, mackerel and snow crab and strong growth in shipments to the US and China,” said Norwegian Seafood Council CEO Christian Kramer. The weakening of the krone also contributed to the increase in exports in value terms, he said.
Meanwhile, shipments of all types of seafood to the US soared 56 per cent to 4.9 billion kroner in anticipation of import duties imposed by US authorities. Exports rose by 34% to 35,591,000 tonnes. In particular, salmon and crab exports increased significantly. “In the first quarter, the value of crustacean exports to the US was for the first time higher than to the EU,” Kramer noted.
Seafood shipments from Norway to China were up 37 per cent to 2.7 billion kroner in January-March. “There was an increase in shipments of salmon, cod, sea bass, mackerel and saithe. This is a very positive development in a market that is becoming increasingly important for Norwegian seafood exports,” said the head of the Norwegian Seafood Council.
Norway supplied seafood to 138 countries in the first quarter. The largest markets were the US, Poland (3.9bn kroner, up 2%) and Denmark (2.8bn kroner, down 28%). Of the total export value, 72 per cent was aquaculture and 28 per cent was wild-caught wildlife.