Norway seafood exports reach August record

Norway’s seafood exports reached a record NOK 16 billion (€1.48 billion) in August, increasing by 14%, compared with the same month last year, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council.

The increase came despite a significantly stronger Norwegian krone, with higher salmon volumes and prices alongside rising prices for cod, mackerel, herring and saithe supporting export values.

“Despite the Norwegian krone being significantly stronger than in the same month last year, the value of seafood exports in August reached a historic high,” said Christian Chramer, chief executive of the Norwegian Seafood Council.

Norway has exported seafood worth NOK 115.7 billion (€10.7 billion) during the first eight months of 2026, up 2% from the corresponding period last year.

The US market also returned to growth in August, despite challenging trading conditions. Norway exported seafood worth NOK 1.13 billion (€100 million) to the US during the month, a 4% increase year-on-year. This follows a sharp slowdown earlier in 2026 and comes after the US increased its punitive tariff on Norwegian goods to 12.5%.

“Although Norway has been subject to less favourable tariff conditions than several of our competitor nations, we have seen growth in salmon exports to the US for two months running,” Chramer said.

Salmon was the main driver of US growth, supported by strong availability and demand. Favourable biological conditions during the summer provided access to larger quantities of high-quality fish, while demand from the sushi segment helped support sales.

The Norwegian Seafood Council also pointed to underlying global demand for Norwegian salmon as a factor behind higher prices and export values.

Growth was recorded across Norway’s five largest seafood markets in August. Poland remained the biggest destination, with exports worth NOK 2.23 billion (€210 million), up 36% year-on-year. China followed at NOK 1.4 billion (€130 million), up 34%, while the Netherlands reached NOK 1.16 billion (€110 million), an increase of 31%.

The UK ranked fifth at NOK 900 million (€83.2 million), representing 16% growth.