Farmed cod and trout exports moving into top gear

The national marketing organisation Seafood Norway reports significant increases for both varieties during September.

Fresh farmed cod volumes jumped by 57% to 1,189 metric tons on a year ago , almost 400 tons higher than trawler-caught cod.

The export value increased by 78% to NOK 84 million (around £6m).

Cod, classed as a relatively inexpensive fish just a few years ago, is now moving into the “luxury” price bracket in the UK and other European markets. This has led to a big increase in the number of cod farms opening up in Norway over the past couple of years.

Many British fish and chip shops have stopped selling cod altogether, switching to other white fish species instead.

With tough catch quotas likely to remain in place for some time, the rush to switch to farmed production looks set to speed up.

Norwegian Seafood Council analyst Eivind Hestvik Brækkan said: "Farmed cod accounted for 59% of the export value of fresh cod in September. This is the highest proportion of farmed cod ever in a single month.”

Farmed trout sales increased by 10% or NOK 64 million (£4.8m) to NOK 681 million (£50m) in September.

The volume grew by 12% to 8,400 tons with the USA, Thailand and the Ukraine the main buyers.

Export volumes to Ukraine continued unabated, ending at 1,441 tonnes, which is 5% higher than September last year, despite the country coming under constant drone attack by Russia.