Norway has just posted the biggest salmon export month in its history. In September 2026, the country shipped 165,393 tonnes of salmon worth NOK 13 billion — a monthly record for both volume and value, according to figures released by the Norwegian Seafood Council on 5 October 2026.
Volume rose 22% and value 15% compared with September 2025. The new value record beat the previous monthly high, set in October 2025, by NOK 659 million. “Norway has never exported a higher volume of salmon in a single month than it did in September,” said Norwegian Seafood Council chief executive Christian Chramer.
Why Salmon Volumes Exploded
The Council credits biology, not just demand. Favourable biological conditions through 2026 — high survival, rapid growth and larger fish — meant a strong supply of big salmon entering the seasonally strong autumn harvest, said market analyst Paul T. Aandahl.
The momentum built through the summer: August 2026 had already set a monthly value record, with 153,602 tonnes worth NOK 12.3 billion. In the third quarter as a whole, Norway shipped 464,700 tonnes of salmon worth NOK 36.2 billion — up 12% in volume and 14% in value year on year.
The Paradox: Total Seafood Exports Stayed Flat
Despite the salmon boom, Norway’s total seafood exports in September were worth NOK 17.8 billion — virtually unchanged, down just NOK 27 million from a year earlier. The Council blames a stronger Norwegian krone and lower volumes of trout and several wild-caught species, which cancelled out the salmon gains.
Farmed seafood still dominated, accounting for NOK 13.7 billion — 77% of total export value. For the first nine months of 2026, total seafood exports reached a record NOK 133.2 billion, up 2% on the same period last year.
Where the Salmon Went
| Market | September volume | Change vs Sep 2025 | Value highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 32,296 tonnes | +30% | Value up NOK 382 million (+21%) |
| China | 11,420 tonnes | +43% | NOK 1 billion, up 38% (+NOK 275 million) |
| Spain | 10,078 tonnes | +31% | NOK 798 million, up 21% — first month above 10,000 tonnes |
Poland, the Netherlands and China were the largest salmon markets overall. China’s surge came ahead of the Golden Week holiday, and Norway supplied 76% of China’s salmon imports in July and 73% in August — its highest market shares there in 15 years.
The United States was the exception: total seafood export value to the US fell 4% to NOK 1.2 billion, and September marked the eleventh consecutive month of declining fresh salmon fillet volumes to the US, Norway’s largest fillet market. Chramer pointed to competition from suppliers facing substantially lower US import tariffs.
Beyond Salmon: Cod Up, Mackerel Down Sharply
Cod: Norway exported 2,138 tonnes of fresh cod worth NOK 187 million in September, of which 69% was farmed cod. Fresh wild cod volume fell 13% to 635 tonnes, though value rose 8% to NOK 58 million. Farmed cod kept growing — volume up 21% to 1,504 tonnes and value up 47% to NOK 129 million. Farmed cod now accounts for 44% of fresh cod export value so far this year, up from 34% a year ago.
Mackerel: Exports fell steeply — 17,286 tonnes worth NOK 925 million, with value down 59% (NOK 1.3 billion) and volume down 67%. The Council notes the 2026 mackerel quota is the lowest in modern times and the season started later than last year; at the start of October, 25% of the Norwegian fleet’s quota still remained. Japan was the largest mackerel market at 6,521 tonnes, down 45%.
What It Means for Fish Farmers Everywhere
- Good biology beats good marketing: survival, growth rates and fish size drove this record — a reminder that farm-level performance is the foundation of export success.
- Farmed fish now rules trade: with 77% of Norway’s seafood export value, aquaculture — not wild catch — is the growth engine of global seafood trade.
- Currency and tariffs can erase a boom: even a record salmon month left total exports flat, as exchange rates and US tariffs bit into other species.
- Farmed cod is the next story to watch: its rising share of cod exports shows diversification beyond salmon is already under way.
Sources: Norwegian Seafood Council September 2026 export figures (released 5 October 2026), as reported by SalmonBusiness, Baird Maritime, Fish Farming Expert, The Fishing Daily and World Fishing. All figures verified 25 October 2026 against multiple independent reports of the Council’s release. The thumbnail images are illustrations, not photographs of the shipments.