Norwegian salmon sales hit August record

Exports of Norwegian salmon hit a new August record last month with sales totalling NOK 7bn (£584m).

The country’s fish farmers exported 119,000 tonnes during the month, an increase of 21% on volume and 33% in value compared with August last year.

Seafood exports of all types, including whitefish, shellfish and pelagic species such as herring and mackerel, also soared to a new high last month, totalling NOK 9.6 bn, (£800m) up by 23% or NOK 2.3bn (£192m).

On salmon sales, Seafood Council analyst Paul T. Aandahl said: “We have never had such a strong August for salmon exports, either in volume or value.

“Increased tourism and a gradual reopening of the restaurant sector are two of the explanations. At the same time, we also see that home consumption is increasing in several markets, which has raised the demand for salmon compared with August last year.”

Poland was the largest growth market for salmon.

Paul Aandahl added: “There is still a high demand for processed products such as smoked salmon and pre-packaged salmon portions for sale in retail in markets such as Germany, France and Italy. This means that sales of salmon as a raw material to the processing industry are increasing.”

Seafood Council CEO Renate Larsen said the reopening of the world community was obviously having a positive effect.

Farmed trout sales also performed well in value terms last month despite a 6% drop in volume. They totalled NOK 404m (£34m), a rise of NOK 79m (£6.6m) or 25% with the United States, Belarus and the Ukraine the largest markets.