Norwegian Seafood Council China Envoy Sigmund Bjørgo told SeafoodSource that the strong recent growth in the Chinese market for Norwegian salmon is the result of lower prices and new sales channels.
Year to date 2026 export figures have been incredibly strong, with the Chinese market importing roughly 25.6 million kilograms of Norwegian salmon, second only to Poland, traditionally the nation's largest export market.
Though 2025 saw Norwegian salmon prices fall dramatically globally, that value loss may have opened up a valuable new export market, Bjørgo said.
He dated the new, stronger demand for Norwegian salmon in China to the last year and a half, saying that though a number of factors played a role, "the lower price has also been an important contributor to the development" of the market in the region.
According to data aggregated by the SeafoodSource Pricing Portal, China saw an average 2023 price for all categories of Atlantic salmon from Norway of NOK 126.13 (EUR 11.28, USD 13.08) per kilogram. Exports totaled 41.35 million kilograms that year. In 2024, the average price was NOK 112.00 (EUR 10.02, USD 11.61) per kilogram and exports totaled 44.55 million kilograms. In both years China ranked as the ninth largest export market for Atlantic salmon from Norway.
By 2025, however, the yearly average price of Atlantic salmon from Norway was much lower at NOK 90.77 (EUR 8.12, USD 9.41) per kilogram in China, and yearly export totals shot up, reaching 89.17 million kilograms. That year, China was the fifth largest export market by mass, leapfrogging the U.S., which imported 53.5 million kilograms of Norwegian salmon that year.
That downward price pressure seems to have added up to a huge increase in Norwegian salmon export masses since the start of 2026. A comparison of Q1 export masses over the last four years shows that February salmon export masses have nearly quadrupled since 2023, with especially robust growth between 2024 and 2025, when February's totals shot from 3.2 million kilograms to 5.0 million kilograms in 2025, and then more than doubled to 12.3 million kilograms in 2026.
Bjørgo said that the "the salmon category grew 50 percent in total volume, and 99 percent for Norwegian salmon" in China in 2024.
He told SeafoodSource that the Norwegian Seafood Council capitalized on that "very strong" demand for salmon in the region over the last year and a half, strategically marketing in response to cultural events.
"Lunar New Year is a peak in the Chinese salmon consumption," Bjørgo said. "Salmon was served on many Chinese dining tables during the holidays, and a popular gift to friends and families. This year NSC utilized this peak season to run a major marketing campaign on social media, food delivery apps and in selected retailers."
Bjørgo also said that the growing market in China is "fueled by increased new sales channels like social media, modern retail, and neighborhood shops and increased distribution into smaller Chinese cities."
