NEWS

2014 could see Norway’s salmon exports to the US reach the highest level seen since 2010 and even the late 1980s, reported the salmon news website iLaks.no.

Driven in part by the ban in Russia and trade difficulties with China, Norwegian exporters have turned to alternative markets such as the US.

The North American country was by far the biggest market for Norwegian salmon in the 1980s, taking in a third of Norway’s production.

However, this stopped abruptly in the late 1980s, when the US imposed a duty of 26.9% on Norwegian whole fresh salmon.

That marked the end of Norwegian salmon’s inroads to the US, paving the way instead for Chile.

Chile has in the past two years dominated the US salmon market, estimated at some 300,000 metric tons a year.

In 2009 and 2010, the tables turned again when Chile’s salmon farms were hit by infectious salmon anemia. Norway covered for the gap in supply to the US, but in the form of fresh fillets, not covered by the high duty.

As Chile’s production recovered in the past few years, Norway’s market share has receded.

But 2014 is seeing a new change. With Chile and Norway adapting their salmon trade flows to Russia’s ban, this has opened up the way for Norway to sell to the US.