Norway exported seafood worth NOK 15.3 billion in January. This is an increase of NOK 1.9 billion, or 14 per cent, compared with the same month last year.
“January was characterised by increased export volumes for salmon and solid value growth for several of our wild-caught species. In addition, the Norwegian krone has weakened against both the dollar and the euro compared with January last year. In terms of value, this was the best January ever for Norwegian seafood exports,” says Christian Chramer, CEO of the Norwegian Seafood Council.
The US was the largest single market for Norwegian seafood exports in January, measured in value. Norway exported fish and shellfish to the US market worth NOK 1.5 billion, which accounted for 9.7 per cent of total seafood exports last month.
“Even though President Donald Trump has talked a lot about increased tariffs for his trading partners, we note that January was a historic month for Norwegian seafood exports to the US. Never has Norway exported fish and shellfish worth as much to the US market as we did in January. This shows that seafood is also important for Norway in trade with the US,” says Chramer.
“Salmon and trout have enjoyed good production conditions this autumn and winter with high sea temperatures, which has ensured good growth for the fish. As a result, we exported more salmon in January than in the same month last year,” says Chramer.
“The strong growth in exports of salmon and trout to the USA is partly due to the fact that there was a lot of fish of the right size and quality available for the US market in January. The further weakening of the Norwegian krone against the US dollar is also a factor,” says Anne-Kristine Øen, the Norwegian Seafood Council’s envoy to the USA. China was the second largest growth market in January, with growth of NOK 284 million, totalling NOK 769 million.