Norway exported 2.9 million tonnes of seafood to a value of NOK 151.4 billion last year, a new record according to the the Norwegian Seafood Council.
The increase in seafood exports means that the market increased by NOK 30.7 billion, or 25%, compared with 2021, which was also a record year for exports.
“Norwegian seafood exports have had a historically strong year behind them. It is happening in a period characterised by war in Europe, galloping energy prices, sky-high inflation, and a weakened global purchasing power,” said Christian Chramer, CEO of the Norwegian Seafood Council.
”A result of the demanding and troubled times is a sharp rise in prices, which last year resulted in record high prices for important species such as salmon, cod, mackerel, trout, pollock and herring.”
New milestones
The export record comes despite lower export volumes for several species, such as salmon, herring, mackerel, cod, king crab, and snow crab.
“For salmon, lower sea temperatures have negatively affected slaughter in 2022. As for our wild-caught species, last year, significant quantities of herring were used for meal and fish oil production in Norway, while we had lower quotas for cod. This is the primary explanation for the decline in volume,” said Chramer.
For the first time, Norway exported more than NOK 10 billion worth of seafood in each of the 12 months of the year. In addition, salmon exports exceeded NOK 100 billion, which has never happened before.
Also, in 2022, salmon accounted for the largest share of Norwegian seafood exports, with 70% of the total value. Followed by cod (8%), mackerel (4%), trout (3%), herring (3%) and shellfish (1%).
Chramer said that despite all this good news, there are still challenging times ahead for many seafood producers.
“World trade is strongly affected by the war in Ukraine, an increase in trade barriers and a Covid pandemic that does not let up. This is happening in parallel with consumers in the markets experiencing weakened purchasing power and competition from other nations and other protein sources hardening.”
Chramer emphasised that Norwegian seafood producers are also affected by fuel and energy cost which have become more expensive in the past year.
“Although the total value of Norwegian seafood exports was at a record high in 2022, trading conditions were demanding for many who produce our seafood. We must keep this in mind on a day when there is a lot of focus on export records”, he said.
