July 21, 2005

Norwegian seafood exports on the rise

Norway's seafood exports are on the rise, according to figures from Norwegian Seafood Export Council and Statistics Norway.

So far, the country has already exported seafood worth NOK14.2 billion (US$ 2.17 billion) this year, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year.

Figures also show that Norwegian seafood exports to France totalled US$213.49 million in the first half of 2005, the highest ever registered. Strong seafood exports are also being registered to countries such as Russia, China, Poland, the Netherlands and the EU.

While exports for Norwegian fishes such as salmon, trout and whitefish are rising, the best performing of the lot is the herring. This year to date, Norwegian herring exports have hit record earnings of US$228.64 million.

The average price for Norwegian herring is now about 40 percent higher from last year.