Norway to hold second permit auction

Norway is holding another salmon permit auction next week to sell off those licences that failed to find a buyer last year.

Many salmon companies were so angered by the salmon tax announcement 12 months ago they decided to boycott the October 2022 sale. A total of 8,243 tonnes of maximum permitted biomass (MTB), distributed over five production areas, will be available for sale.

The producers also called for a postponement arguing that it was irresponsible to go ahead when they did not know how the tax would affect their finances – but that was ignored by the Department of Trade and Industry.

The result was that the sale made around NOK 4bn (£334m), less than half of what had been anticipated.

Fisheries Minister Bjørnar Skjæran said selling off the licences which didn’t make it last year would help the government achieve its goal of growth in the fish farming sector.

Also, he added, the income from the auction would benefit aquaculture communities along the coast.

The auction opens on Monday 2 October and finishes at the end of business on Thursday 5 October.

A total of 8,243 tonnes of maximum permitted biomass (MTB), distributed over five production areas, will be available for sale.

Meanwhile, the Oslo government has banned its employees from dealing in shares until the new budget is presented on 6 October.

News of the salmon tax was leaked before last year’s Budget and there were unsubstantiated  reports that some people had been involved in insider trading. Salmon companies called for an official inquiry into the issue – seemingly without success.

Norway’s Fisheries and Marine Affairs Minister, Bjørnar Skjæran