Norway exported NOK 82.3 billion of seafood in the first half of 2023
“In terms of value, Norwegian seafood exports have never had a stronger first half of the year. A combination of a weak Norwegian krone and high global food inflation has resulted in a sharp rise in prices for our most important seafood species”, says CEO of the Norwegian Seafood Council, Christian Chramer.
The currency effect has had a significant impact on Norwegian seafood exports in the first six months of 2023.
“Of the total increase in export value of NOK 12.3 billion in the first half of the year, about NOK 8 billion can be explained by the weak Norwegian krone”, says Chramer.
In the first half of the year, Norway exported 1.3 million tonnes of seafood. This is a decrease of 75,000 tonnes, or 5 per cent, compared to the same period last year. Herring, cod, and salmon all had a drop in export volume, which can be explained by challenging fishing conditions, reduced quotas and somewhat lower salmon production volume.
“The export figures emphasize that seafood from Norway is a sought-after product around the world. At the same time, it is important to be aware that it is currency, and not volume, that has been the major driver these last six months. This is not positive, even when set against a generally good six months for seafood exports. The government is therefore keen to facilitate more activity and increased value creation along the entire coastline”, says Bjørnar Skjæran, Fisheries and Oceans Minister.
In the first half of the year, Denmark, Poland and the USA were the largest markets in terms of value.
“The flow of goods is affected by the fact that we live in troubled and demanding economic times. The high food inflation has affected purchasing power in Europe to a greater extent than in our overseas markets. In the US, however, we see that food price inflation has now levelled off”, says Chramer.
In Europe, food inflation is still very high, but, like the USA, has fallen in recent months.
“This is positive for consumers' purchasing power but may also indicate that price growth for Norwegian seafood will decrease in the future”, says Chramer.
Exports to the USA had the greatest increase in value in the first half of the year, with an increase of NOK 1.7 billion, or 34 per cent, compared to the first half of last year.
“Measured in value, 8 per cent of seafood exports in the first half of the year went to the USA. The value share has grown steadily over the past 10 years, so here we are talking about a success story for Norwegian seafood exports. The US market has also had the greatest growth both this year, the last 5 years, and the last 10 years”, says Christian Chramer.
During the last 10 years, Norwegian seafood exports to the USA have increased tenfold. While the export value in the first half of 2013 was NOK 688 million, it was NOK 6.9 billion in the first six months of the year.
“Salmon is the export engine to the USA. In the first half of the year, it accounted for 79 per cent of the value, but trout, king crab and snow crab are also important species in the American market”, explains the Seafood Council's managing director.
In June, Norway exported NOK 14.9 billion worth of seafood. This is an increase of NOK 2.6 billion, or 21 per cent, from the same month last year.
“While in April and May there was a decline in the value of Norwegian seafood exports measured in euros and dollars. This trend reversed in June. Then the increase in value was 7 per cent measured in euros and 9 per cent measured in dollars. Volume growth from salmon contributed to June being the third best single month of all time for Norwegian seafood exports measured in Norwegian kroner”, says Christian Chramer.
This is a record high export value for salmon in the first half of the year. The value is NOK 10.3 billion higher than the previous record, which was in the first half of 2022.
“There has been a record-breaking salmon market in the first half of the year. In addition to the currency effect, price growth is the driver of value growth. We are particularly seeing increased demand for Norwegian salmon in the US. The flow of goods is also characterized by the reopening of Chinese society after the corona pandemic. This has led to increased sales of salmon in this market”, says Paul T. Aandahl, Seafood Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
The USA had the greatest growth in value in the first half of the year, with an increase in export value of almost NOK 1.7 billion, or 45 per cent, compared to the first half of last year.
The export volume to the USA ended at 34,400 tonnes, which is 17 per cent higher than in the first half of last year.
This is a record high export value for trout in the first half of the year. Some NOK 177 million higher than the previous record, which was set in the first half of 2022.
Lithuania had the largest increase in export value in the first half of the year, with an increase in export value of NOK 170 million, or 400 per cent, compared to the first half of last year.
The export volume to Lithuania ended at 2,100 tonnes, which is 357 per cent higher than in the first half of last year.
“This is mostly related to changed product flows for trout because of the war in Ukraine. Before the war, Belarus was one of the most important markets for trout from Norway. Now this market has completely disappeared”, says Paul T. Aandahl, Seafood Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
This is a record high export value for fresh cod in the first half of the year. The value is NOK 124 million higher than the previous record, which was last year.
“A significant decrease in cod quotas and landings during this year's fishing season resulted in a decrease in the export volume of fresh cod in the first half of the year. A doubling in the export volume of farmed cod helped to moderate the decline”, says Eivind Hestvik Brækkan, Seafood Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
With a lower supply of fresh cod, consumption has fallen in all the largest cod markets outside Europe. The exception is Spain, where home consumption of fresh whole cod has increased so far this year.
“The whole cod market in Spain is an important market for both fresh whole cod and farmed cod from Norway, and we have maintained a dominant market share throughout the cod season. The development in total seafood consumption in Spain shows signs of improvement in recent months, and the country is also one of the few countries in Europe that is in the process of getting inflation under control, helped by several inflation-reducing measures from the authorities”, explains Brækkan.
Total export volume of fresh cod to Spain in the first half of the year ended at 2,900 tonnes, an increase from 600 tonnes last year.
The decrease in cod quotas has resulted in a significantly lower export volume for frozen cod.
“We must go back to 2015 to find a lower export volume of frozen cod in the first half of the year. We had the biggest decrease in export volume to China, which has more than halved its volume, from 18,100 tonnes last year to only 8,500 tonnes this year”, says Eivind Hestvik Brækkan, Seafood Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
As much as 30 per cent of the export of frozen cod, measured in value, went to the United Kingdom in the first half of the year. We must go back to 2014 to find an equally high export share to Great Britain.
The UK was also the market with the largest increase in value in the first half of the year, with an increase in export value of NOK 162 million, or 37 per cent, compared to the same period last year.
The export volume to Great Britain ended at 8,730 tonnes, which is 25 per cent higher than in the first half of last year.
“Although the consumption of cod in Great Britain is falling, Norwegian exports are increasing. The weakening of the Norwegian krone against the British pound has reduced the effect of increased prices for Norwegian seafood on the market. In addition, the UK's increased customs tariffs on direct imports of cod from Russia have contributed to making Norwegian cod more attractive”, says Brækkan.
At the same time, the country is one of the markets hit hardest by high inflation and increased costs.
“The position of Norwegian cod to the UK has strengthened significantly so far this year based on direct exports. Even with an economically demanding backdrop, there is reason to believe that we will continue to see a good development for the Norwegian cod”, says Victoria Braathen, the Norwegian Seafood Council's envoy to the UK.
This is a record high export value for clip fish in the first half of the year. The value was NOK 195 million higher than the previous record, which was in the first half of 2022.
The export volume for pollock clip fish ended at 22,300 tonnes, which is a decrease of 7 per cent compared to the same period last year.
“Cod clip fish is still the largest species in terms of value, but this share was only 48 per cent in the first half of the year. It is the third year in a row that cod accounted for less than half of clip fish exports in the first half of the year”, says Eivind Hestvik Brækkan, Seafood Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
The export volume for cod clip fish ended at 10,400 tonnes in the first half of the year, which is a decrease of 14 per cent compared to the same period last year.
“Increased competition for raw materials in Norway, with lower cod quotas and less large cod in this year's landings, has probably contributed to the decline in volume”, says Brækkan.
The export volume for cod clip fish to our largest export market Portugal ended at just 7,100 tonnes. This is the lowest export volume there in the first six months since 2008.
“The sharp increase in the export price of cuttlefish in the past year has resulted in a significant price increase in shops in Portugal, which has contributed to a decline in domestic consumption of cuttlefish. Part of the reason is a shift towards more outdoor consumption, helped by strong growth in tourism, with prospects for a record number of tourists in 2023”, explains Brækkan.
The Portuguese are still struggling with a challenging economy and increased prices, but economic development in Portugal is expected to be stronger than in most other EU countries.
Brazil had the greatest growth in value in the first half of the year, with an increase in export value of NOK 151 million, or 37 per cent, compared to the first half of last year.
“The export volume of both tusk, ling and cod to Brazil increased, while the export of clip fish remained stable”, says Eivind Hestvik Brækkan.
The total export volume of clip fish to Brazil ended at 7,850 tonnes, which is 9 per cent higher than in the first half of last year.
“Economic development in Brazil has improved significantly over the past year, helped by a strong agricultural sector. A stronger Brazilian currency has helped to make imports of reef fish cheaper for Brazilians, and although reef fish exports to Brazil are still far lower than a few years ago, the first half of the year was an important step in the right direction”, says Brækkan.
This is a record high export value for salted fish in the first half of the year. The value was NOK 189 million higher than the previous record, which was in the first half of 2022.
After strong growth in the export volume last year, the volume fell back somewhat this year. Historically, however, the export volume of salted fish is at a high level.
”During the last five years, only 2022 saw more salted fish exported from Norway in the first half of the year. Seen in the light of this year's quota reduction for cod, as well as the fact that there has been a lower proportion of large cod in this year's landings, the development for saltfish is stronger than what could be expected at the beginning of the year”, says Eivind Hestvik Brækkan, Seafood Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
Over 80 percent of the salted fish measured in value went to Portugal in the first half of the year. This is the highest proportion ever.
Portugal was also the country with the greatest increase in value in the first half of the year, with an increase in export value of NOK 188 million, or 17 per cent, compared to the first half of last year.
“Export volume to Portugal ended at 14,500 tonnes, which is 5 per cent lower than in the first half of last year. Portugal's dominance as a destination country illustrates both how important Portugal is for Norwegian saltfish, but also the vulnerability that Norway is highly dependent on demand trends in this single market”, emphasizes Brækkan.
This is a record high export value for dried fish in the first half of the year. The value was NOK 139 million higher than the previous record, which was in the first half of 2019.
This is a record high export value for dried fish in the first half of the year. The value was NOK 139 million higher than the previous record, which was in the first half of 2019.
Italy had the greatest increase in value in the first half of the year, with an increase in export value of NOK 122 million, or 59 per cent, compared to the first half of last year.
The export volume to Italy ended at 1,090 tonnes, which is 11 per cent higher than in the first half of last year.
”Dried fish exports in the first half of the year are mainly from last year's production, and the positive development in volume tells more about how much the exporters had in stock at New Year's compared to a year earlier”, says Eivind Hestvik Brækkan, Seafood Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
At the same time, the increase in export value is a result of significantly higher prices for dried fish.
“This year's production of stockfish will be exported in the next 12 months, and like other producers of cod products, the stockfish industry is also experiencing increased competition for the raw material in line with lower cod quotas. High landing prices for cod mean that it costs more to produce dried fish, which will lead to higher prices further down the value chain”, says Eivind Hestvik Brækkan.
For Norwegian spring-spawning herring (NVG), landings in Norway in the first half of the year have increased by around 10,000 tonnes, or just over 6 per cent. For North Sea herring, there is a clear decrease in catches.
“Here, northerly winds, low sea temperatures and scattered deposits have made fishing challenging. In the first half of the year, around 48,000 tonnes were landed, compared to 95,000 tonnes in the same period last year, a decrease of 50 per cent”, says Jan Eirik Johnsen, Pelagic Species Manager with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
The small size of the North Sea herring and good prices for flour and oil have also meant that around 20,000 tonnes have gone into the production of flour and oil so far this year.
“In the first half of the year, the export of fresh North Sea herring has decreased from 10,000 tonnes to 1,700 tonnes, and of frozen whole North Sea herring from 13,500 tonnes to 7,500 tonnes, compared to the same period last year”, explains Johnsen.
Prices for fresh whole North Sea herring have fallen by approximately 4 per cent in the period, while prices for frozen whole North Sea herring have increased sharply, from NOK 11.93 in the first half of last year to NOK 17.57 in the same period this year. This is an increase of 47.3 per cent.
“This is due to a slow and delayed start to the herring season, where supply does not quite keep up with demand”, says Jan Eirik Johnsen.
Regarding the export of NVG herring, there is a decrease in whole frozen herring from 56,000 tonnes in the first half of last year to 39,400 tonnes in the same period this year.
“There is a clear decline in exports to the African markets, except for Egypt, which is by far the largest market for frozen whole herring from Norway, despite the challenges for importers to obtain currency and deal with payment settlements. This means that the risk of trading with Egypt is still considered high”, emphasizes Jan Eirik Johnsen.
For the export of NVG fillet, there is a significant growth in frozen fillet without skin. Here, 28,400 tonnes were exported in the first half of this year, compared to 18,800 tonnes last year, an increase of 51 per cent.
The main markets are Germany and Poland. The average price in the first half of the year for frozen fillet without skin was NOK 17.10 per kg, compared to NOK 15.82 per kg last year, an increase of 8 per cent.
“Although a weak krone against the euro contributes positively, we see that prices in the Polish and German markets towards consumers have risen by as much as 10 and 20 per cent respectively in the first four months of the year. This helps to slow down consumption and can be a challenge for herring exports in the long term”, says Johnsen.
Herring roe has been a product that in recent years has made a good contribution to the pelagic industry, but this year both production and exports have seen a significant decline.
“In the markets, the Norwegian herring roe meets large quantities of Icelandic capelin roe. Exports in the first half of this year were 800 tonnes worth NOK 53 million, compared to 1,450 tonnes and NOK 103 million in the same period last year”, says Jan Eirik Johnsen.
In the first half of the year, approximately 55,000 tonnes of mackerel were landed, compared to 57,000 tonnes in the same period last year. This is a decrease of 6.5 per cent.
“This is natural, as the mackerel quota has been reduced by 13 per cent compared to 2022. If we look at the entire 22/23 season, 370,000 tonnes were landed, which is an increase of 4 per cent from the 21/22 season”, says Jan Eirik Johnsen, Pelagic Species Manager with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
There is still good demand in the most important Asian markets, which has helped to keep prices at a good level. Low local mackerel catches also contribute to some extent to demand.
“We see that there has been a shift in deliveries to the Japanese market. Traditionally, China has been the dominant further processing market for fillets of Norwegian mackerel for the Japanese market. Now we see that more mackerel is going directly to Japan for processing there, and more is also going to Vietnam and Indonesia".
The biggest and most important news for mackerel in the first half of the year is that a bilateral agreement was signed between Norway and Great Britain at the beginning of June. The agreement ensures that Norway can fish up to 60 per cent of its quota in British waters.
“This is important to ensure good and efficient fishing, and because the Norwegian fleet can fish for mackerel when the quality is at its best - without considering whether it is in a Norwegian or British zone. The news of the agreement has been well received in the Asian markets, where the quality focus is high”, says Jan Eirik Johnsen.
Frozen, peeled prawns are the largest product measured by value, with a share of 62 per cent. Compared to the first half of last year, the export value has increased by 8 per cent, or close to NOK 30 million.
The export volume, on the other hand, declines slightly by around 5 per cent. Measured in Norwegian kroner, export prices increased by 14 per cent, while measured in euros, only frozen, peeled prawns in packages under 2 kg have a small price increase of 2 per cent.
“The United Kingdom, Sweden and Finland are still the biggest markets. These are all three markets that have been affected by high food inflation, weakened purchasing power and lower total imports of prawn so far this year”, says Josefine Voraa, Shellfish Manager with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
The product that accounts for the greatest growth in value and volume in the first half of the year is frozen, cooked shell prawns. In this period, the increase in value is over NOK 81 million, or 478 per cent.
“Increased landings of frozen, cooked shell prawns combined with lower supplies from Greenland have resulted in higher demand and export prices. Ukraine has for many years been an important growth market for frozen shell prawns, and so far, this year import volumes show that they are approaching pre-invasion levels. It just shows how important it is to have healthy simple protein sources such as prawn, even during crises”, says Voraa,
Good coastal fishing in the south and in the north has resulted in increased supply and increased export volumes, of 78 per cent and 41 per cent respectively, for lake prawns and fresh boiled shell prawns.
Good snow crab fishing with high catch rates from early in the season led to the total quota being fished up already in April, compared to June last year.
Increased landings early in the year resulted in record snow crab exports in the first quarter, with over 2,800 tonnes of snow crab. In the second quarter, however, exports ended at around 1,900 tonnes, which is on par with last year.
“Over 34 per cent of the export volume so far this year has gone directly to the USA, in addition to re-exporting markets such as the Netherlands and Denmark. There has also been an increase in exports to further processing markets such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bulgaria”, says Josefine Voraa, Shellfish Manager with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
Measured in terms of value, it is not as cheerful, as the negative development from last year's price collapse has continued in 2023. The export price so far this year is thus at a historically low level, seen from a Norwegian perspective.
“The reason is that last year's problems have followed into this year. All supplier nations then had large inventories from the previous year. In addition, there have been challenges in Canadian fishing, which has contributed to more uncertainty”, Voraa explains.
“The reason for the growth is good demand for live and frozen king crab in all our core markets. Growth in the restaurant markets in Asia after the reopening, improved logistics to Asia and sanctions against Russian crab in the US and Europe are among the reasons for the volume growth in the first half of the year”, says Josefine Voraa, Shellfish Manager with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
Exports of live king crab increased by 231 tonnes, to 639 tonnes, in the first half of the year, while frozen increased from 200 tonnes to 274 tonnes.
“The USA was the largest market for both live and frozen red king crab in the first half of the year. Here there was an increase in the export value of NOK 59.4 million compared to the first half of last year”, explains Voraa.
The export volume to the USA ended at 302 tonnes, which is 58 per cent higher than in the first half of last year.
“Norway is today the only supplier of red king crab to the market after Russian crab was banned. As the build-up of stock from last year has started to run out, the demand for Norwegian has been increasing”, says Josefine Voraa.
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