2025 turned out to be yet another record year for Norwegian seafood exports, despite the turmoil in international trade, as Norway exported 2.8 million tonnes of seafood valued at NoK181.5 billion – despite a slowdown in growth on the US market.
‘This value record is impressive in a year characterised by increased turmoil in world trade,’ said Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy Marianne Sivertsen Næss.
‘It says a lot about the seafood industry’s strong international competitiveness. The government is committed to strengthening market access for the seafood industry and will continue to prioritise this work in the new year.
The increase compared to 2024 is NoK6.4 billion, a roughly 4% jump.
‘2025 was a demanding year for seafood, with lower quotas and catches at record prices for all our most important wild-caught species,’ commented CEO Christian Chramer.
‘The year was also characterised by strong volume growth for salmon. Despite a significantly lower salmon price, it was a record year for Norwegian seafood exports in terms of value.’
The largest markets for Norwegian seafood exports in 2025 were Poland, the USA and China.
In 2025, 9% of Norwegian seafood exports went to the US. This has been the highest share since 1989. However, in April and August, the US increased its tariffs on Norwegian seafood, which are now 15% or higher on all products.
‘Last year, Norway sold seafood to more than 150 countries, so we are completely dependent on good market access and an efficient flow of goods. The USA’s new tariffs created a lot of noise and turmoil for Norwegian seafood exports. From being a market with record growth and an almost insatiable appetite for salmon and crab from Norway in the first half of 2025, US trade throughout the year was characterised by tariffs, a weaker dollar and weaker development,’ Christian Chramer said.
The first quarter of 2025 saw a 55% increase in the seafood export values to the US compared to the same period in the preceding year, and in the second quarter, export values were still outstripping 2024’s figures by 20%. But by the third quarter this had dropped to 6%, and hit -1% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
‘The USA is by far the world’s largest market for salmon consumption and has been one of our largest growth markets over time, also in 2025. It is very important for Norwegian seafood, and the potential for further growth remains high,’Christian Chramer said.
Norwegian seafood exports have seen an strong development in recent years. In 2015, the value of exports totalled NOK 74.5 billion, representing growth of over NoK 100 billion in 10 years.
‘However, the increase in seafood exports in 2025 is moderate for the second year in a row. After strong growth in export value in the wake of the corona pandemic from 2021 to 2023, we have seen growth in both 2024 and 2025 that barely exceeds the general price growth in Norway,’ he said, commenting that quota reductions and high price growth, weak price development for salmon and the new US tariffs are all contributing factors.
‘Despite setting a new export record in 2025, the backdrop is far more demanding and gloomier than at the same time last year. The strong price growth for cod and mackerel has been challenging for the onshore industry. Those who process fish and create jobs along the coast now have lower volumes of wild fish available and face a very tough economic situation,’ he said.
‘In recent years, the Norwegian krone has been weak against our most important trading currencies, such as the euro and the dollar. This has made Norwegian seafood cheaper to buy in the markets. In 2025, the Norwegian krone strengthened against the dollar and several important Asian currencies, while the euro remained unchanged compared with the previous year. As a result, we had no currency support in 2025.
