United States was Norwegian salmon's top customer in first quarter of 2025

The importance of the United States market to Norwegian fish farmers has been highlighted by new figures showing that the value of salmon exported to the US increased by NOK 1.1 billion (US $106 million), or 47%, in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2024.

Norway exported 22,183 tonnes of salmon to the US in Q1, making it the salmon sector’s biggest single export market. The volume exported to the US was 56% higher than in Q1 2024.

The figures released today come in the wake of new US import tariffs announced by President Donald Trump yesterday. Imports from salmon producing nations Chile, Scotland, and Iceland will attract a tariff of 10%, while imports from Norway face a 15% tariff. The “reciprocal” tariffs are based on the Trump administration’s perception of costs faced by US exporters to individual countries and the European Union, although these include costs also faced by a country’s domestic producers, such as VAT.

Working with business

Norway’s fisheries minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss told Fish Farming Expert’s Norwegian sister site Kyst.no that the government was expecting the announcement and is now working to map out how Norway and Norwegian businesses will be affected.

“The government is working closely with Norwegian business and industry organisations. I will personally be meeting with seafood exporters, industry organisations, the Seafood Council and LO (the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions) about these issues on Friday,” said the minister.

Sivertsen Næss also pointed to the importance of the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement and contact with the European Union.  The EEA links the EU member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway into an internal market governed by EU rules that enable free trade within the European single market.

Importance of Europe

“It is important that we continue our work to ring the EEA agreement, get inside the possible protectionist measures from the EU, and keep order in the Norwegian economy,” said the minister.

“The government has close contact with key people in Europe. In March, I was visited by the EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, in my hometown of Hammerfest, and the Prime Minister is travelling to Brussels on Monday for meetings with the EU.”

Ola Helge Hjetland, communications director at the world’s biggest Atlantic salmon farmer, Mowi, told Kyst.no that the US market is very important for Norwegian seafood.

“But we are used to being in demanding trading situations, so we will be able to work our way through this.” 

He said it is also crucial that the government does not impose new regulatory and financial burdens on the industry during these very demanding and unpredictable times.