Seafood Council says Biden will bring ‘predictability’

The change of president in the United States is likely to make little difference for seafood exporters, Anne-Kristine Øen, the Norwegian Seafood Council’s US envoy has reported.
Joe Biden takes over from Donald Trump next month but Øen doesn’t think it will be of great significance as far as the seafood sector is concerned.
“Predictability is still an advantage for all international trade, and that is a line Joe Biden will stand for,” she adds.
Despite obvious challenges in the country hardest hit by the Covid pandemic , exports of fish of most types have held up well in the face of the crisis in the run up to the end of 2020, with salmon leading the way.
The US restaurant and catering segment has had a tough year and it is expected that as 2020 draws to a close up to 200,000 restaurants will have shut their doors.
While salmon volumes are down by five per cent, the actual value has increases by two per cent.
More importantly, she says there has been a shift in the type of products being purchased by Americans.
“Frozen fillets are up 48 per cent for salmon, but sales of whole, fresh, chilled salmon have halved.
“This is a consequence of the fact that large volumes have been moved from ‘food service’ to home consumption, and this must also be seen in connection with the logistical challenges posed by Covid-19 where there has been far less choice in air transport.”
Exports of farmed trout and whitefish such as cod and haddock to the US have recorded increases.
Meanwhile, the Seafood Council has prepared a new monthly report on Norwegian salmon consignments to China and on the Chinese salmon market.