Farmed cod takes 72% of Norway’s fresh cod export value as sector gains commercial scale

Farmed Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) is taking an increasingly significant share of Norway’s fresh cod market, as rising aquaculture volumes coincide with tighter supplies of wild-caught fish. In August, Norway exported 1,388 tonnes of fresh farmed cod, up 69% year on year, with export value increasing by 98% to NOK 118 million. Farmed fish accounted for 72% of the export value of fresh cod, the highest share recorded to date.

The August figure was not an isolated peak. It was the second consecutive month in which farmed cod represented more than 70% of fresh cod export value, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council. In July, farmed cod exports had risen by 96% to 1,514 tonnes and represented 69% of fresh cod export value. For the first eight months of 2026, aquaculture accounted for 42% of the value of Norway’s fresh cod exports.

The change is being supported by greater production capacity. Figures from the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries show that sales of farmed cod reached 19,473 tonnes in 2025, compared with 13,342 tonnes a year earlier, an increase of 46%. Cod nevertheless remains a relatively small part of Norwegian aquaculture, accounting for around 1% of total farmed seafood sales by volume, compared with 93% of salmon.

Al the same time, the availability of fresh wild cod has tightened. Norway reported just 546 tonnes of fresh wild-caught cod in Agust, 45% less than a year earlier, while its export value declined by 36%. During the first half of 2026, wild fresh cod export volumes had already fallen by 28%, with the Seafood Council linking the decline to lower quotas and stronger competition for raw material from Norway’s domestic processing industry.

The industry’s expansion is also beginning to become visible beyond export markets. Norwegian producer Ode has launched large-scale domestic retail distribution in more than 200 grocery stores, offering fresh, never-frozen farmed cod throughout the year. The company, which historically sold mainly into European, US and Asian markets, has built an integrated chain covering hatchery production, farming, processing and sales.

Ode’s own figures illustrate the scale now being reached by the leading operators. The company says it harvested 10,018 tonnes HOG in 2025, more than double the previous year’s volume, and reported a net profit of NOK 66 million on revenues of NOK 877 million. These are company-specific results rather than evidence that cod farming as a whole has reached profitability, but they mark a significant change from earlier attempts to commercialise the species at scale.

The figures suggest that farmed cod is moving beyond its earlier role as a diversification niche and becoming a more regular component of Norway’s fresh whitefish supply, particularly outside the main wild-cod season. Its overall scale remains modest compared with salmon, but increasing production, a rising share of fresh exports and the move into year-round retail provide three separate indications that the commercia base for farmed cod is broadening.