Seafood exports worth NOK 91.6 billion in 2016

Norway exported seafood to a value of NOK 91.6 billion in 2016. This is 23 per cent, or NOK 17 billion more than in the previous record year 2015.

”2016 was a fantastic year for Norwegian seafood exports. Exports increased by 23 per cent and passed NOK 90 billion for the first time. 67 per cent of exports, measured by value, went to Europe. Norway is highly dependent on the European market”, says CEO Renate Larsen of the Norwegian Seafood Council.

Norwegian seafood producers exported seafood to EU for NOK 61.3 billion. This is an increase of 23 per cent from 2015.

”Salmon exports are strong in Europe, but its high prices at the moment have meant that volumes in key markets have reduced. We expect continued growth for salmon towards consumers in several European countries. This applies to both fresh natural salmon and for processed products like frozen and smoked salmon. With higher prices in Europe, significant volumes of salmon are also going to new markets in other parts of the world. The volume of exports to Europe declined by 6 per cent in 2016. In Asia, the decrease was 1 per cent, while salmon exports to North America increased by 2 per cent in 2016”, says Larsen.

Record growth for salmon and whitefish

Norway exported 1 million tonnes of salmon and trout worth NOK 65.3 billion in 2016. This is a decrease in volume of 3.5 per cent, while export values increased by 31 per cent or NOK 15.4 billion from 2015.

Norway's exports of whitefish amounted to NOK 13.8 billion in 2016. This is also a record and an increase of 6 per cent, or NOK 821 million. Volumes increased by 7 per cent.

Norway exported 81,000 tonnes of clipfish worth NOK 3.7 billion in 2016. That is a decline of 8 per cent by volume 6.5 per cent by value. Exports of fresh whitefish products increased 7 per cent by volume and 14 per cent by value to a total of NOK 3.2 billion in 2016.

”It should be possible for prices to increase further for codfish, as we have seen for salmon. To get there we must have a greater focus on the market and make sure that beluga is made available throughout most of the year. This requires product development in both fresh and frozen whitefish”, says Larsen.

Increases for mackerel, herring and shellfish

Norway exported 309,000 tonnes of mackerel worth NOK 4.1 billion in 2016. This represents a decline in volume of 12 per cent, while the value increased by 6 per cent. Norway exported 8 per cent more herring in 2016, while the value increased by 28 per cent to NOK 3.1 billion. Norway exported shellfish worth NOK 1.9 billion in 2016. This is an increase of 21 per cent from 2015. This strong growth was mainly due to increased exports of king crab and snow crab.

Our main export markets

In 2016, Norway exported seafood to 146 countries. Of these, Poland is the largest single market, accounting for NOK 9.7 billion in 2016. Poland is an increasingly important consumer market, but a significant proportion of exports to Poland goes to processing and further distribution to the European market.

”Progressively more of the seafood we produce will be processed in countries other than those where it is eventually consumed. Here we see that Poland and Denmark are two key markets. In 2016 the biggest consumer markets for Norwegian seafood were France, Germany and UK”, says Larsen.

France is now the second largest market for Norwegian seafood, and a very important consumer market. Norway exported seafood for NOK 7.9 billion to France in 2016. This is an increase of NOK 1.7 billion or 27 per cent from the year before. This also makes France the second biggest growth market overall in 2016.