Norway exported 138,000 metric tons (MT) of herring worth NOK 1.2 billion (USD 146.4 million, EUR 125.3 million) in the first-half of this year. While this represented a 3 percent rise in volume compared with 2017’s opening six months, lower prices saw the export value fall by 12 percent or NOK 174 million (USD 21.2 million, EUR 18.2 million).
Germany, Poland, and Lithuania have so far provided the largest markets for Norwegian herring this year.
"With increased volumes in recent years, we are seeing lower prices as a result of continuing lack of market access to Russia, historically our most important herring market,” said Paul Aandahl, analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC).
Over the same six months, the Scandinavian country exported 78,000 MT of mackerel with a value of NOK 1 billion (USD 122 million, EUR 104.4 million). This volume represented a 19 percent decrease compared with H1 2017, while the value fell by 16 percent or NOK 194 million (USD 23.7 million, EUR 20.3 million).
South Korea and China have imported the most Norwegian mackerel.
According to the NSC, Norway also exported 679 MT of king crab worth a total NOK 195 million (USD 23.8 million, EUR 20.4 million) and 4,600 MT of shrimp valued at NOK 373 million (USD 45.5 million, EUR 39 million), with both earnings up on those from H1 2017.
In total, Norway exported 1.4 million MT of seafood worth a record NOK 48.1 billion (USD 5.8 billion, EUR 5 billion) in the first-half of 2018.
