The 2025 edition of the Norway – UK Seafood Summit showcased both opportunities in the industry, as well as addressing current and future challenges. Overarching themes and discussions of the conference were the key megatrends that will shape the seafood industry in the coming years.
Tuesday 25th of February, the seafood industry – including retail, foodservice, fishing, trade organisations and media – attended the Norway–UK Summit at Fishmongers’ Hall in London.
Opening the summit with words on the longstanding cooperation between the UK and Norway, Country Director Victoria Braathen set the stage for the coming talks and presentations.
– With the summit we want to continue to foster bilateral opportunities and showcase how the industry in both Norway and the UK can work together. This year we’ve had wonderful presentations and discussions from our participants, and we’re very happy with the involvement and interest from our stakeholders and everyone else attending, Braathen happily states.
A Long-standing Seafood Partnership
HE Tore Hattrem, Ambassador of Norway to the United Kingdom and Mike Rowe, Director for Marine and Fisheries in Defra followed Victoria Braathen on the stage, further emphasizing the importance of our collaboration and our trade relationship.
The question of the role of seafood when it comes to food security and sustainability, as well as innovation, were the key themes. Working together will help us move both industry, sector and trade in the future.
The Big Trends and Shifts Across Species and Markets
The presentations and talks of the Summit covered several species and the newest insights on export, import and consumption. The speakers touched upon important subjects related to innovation in technology, what’s needed and where we stand, and how it all connects to challenges in sustainability, stock management and trade.
The overarching theme in the individual presentations was global megatrends and their influence on seafood consumption. Analyst Lars Moksness opened with an introduction to the key megatrends shaping our world and their impact on consumer choices and seafood consumption.
Moksness’ keynote set the stage for the rest of the summit, showcasing the major drivers that influence and transform the market.
The key megatrends addressed were:
- Technological advancements
- Demographic shifts
- Environmental changes
- Economic shifts
- Geopolitical developments
- Social evolution
Supply Chain Trends and Market Dynamics for Whitefish and Salmon
Seafood analyst Eivind Hestvik Brækkan guided the audience through the shifts and development in both imports and exports, focusing on salmon and whitefish for the UK. He demonstrated how trade and species have evolved and changed between the markets.
Tapping into the overarching theme of this year’s summit - the megatrends that shape seafood consumption - Brækkan concluded his talk with some hypothetical geopolitical scenarios, and their potential implications. He provided examples of possible futures, including the consequences of new tariffs, the lifting of sanctions and bans, a global trade war, and how these factors might influence the international flow of seafood.
Dag Sletmo, from DNB Bank’s Seafood Division, followed with his thoughts on the global salmon supply for 2025 and its potential market implications. Stating that the megatrends shaping consumption could benefit the salmon farming industry.
Sletmo listed some key drivers that will be important for the industry in the coming years, such as:
- An increasing world population with higher demand for food
- A growing middle class in emerging markets demanding more protein
- Limited land acreage compared to other animal production
- Low feed conversion rate compared to other animal production
Sletmo commented that the high prices for salmon will likely continue in the following year, with trade flows being influenced by the shifting geopolitical situation.
Charting the Course: Long-Term Management of Norwegian Fisheries
Researcher Daniel Howell, from the Institute of Marine Research, presented an introduction to the history of Norwegian fisheries and exports. He provided insights into the science behind Norway’s long-term fisheries management, stock development, and harvest control rules.
Howell emphasized that Norway’s focus is not only on managing volume but also on the variation and amount within each species category. It is not just about how many tonnes of fish we catch: the way we fish, and which specific fish are caught are also important.
The size of the fish is of utmost importance. Norwegian management and fishing practices include measures to allow smaller fish to grow before being caught.
Howell also commented on the NEA cod, discussing the state of the cod stock and the quotas. The reason for the low recruitment of cod is hard to understand, as Howell pointed out, but several factors could influence the cod stock.
Howell concluded that many fish stocks are now in a healthy state, and we can see that fish are growing larger again. It is expected that they will stabilize in the next few years, if scientific advice is followed and we continue protecting the small fish.
Norwegian Coldwater prawns: Fisheries Management
Delving into the subject of cold-water prawns, Synne Guldbrandsen, Marketing Manager at the Norwegian Fishermen’s Sales Organization, and Josefine Voraa, Seafood Analyst at the Norwegian Seafood Council, introduced the audience to the management model and fishing practices that shape the wild caught prawn fishery.
This included the management of prawn stocks, as well as the regulations and laws that protect against bycatch:
- Prawn trawling permit
- Regulation and rules for catching
- Certification and sustainability
The Summit’s section on Coldwater prawns also featured a moderated talk with Josefine Voraa and Nicola Hunter, Head of Seafood Purchasing and Strategic Sourcing at Hilton Foods Seachill. The topics were supply outlook, consumer trends shaping the UK prawn market, and future opportunities.
The Future of Fish and Chips
Following the segment on Coldwater prawns, the theme shifted to Fish and Chips, with a joint discussion between Andrew Crook from National Federation of Fish Friers, Sarah Heward from The Real Food Café, and Johan Oksholen from Nor Seafoods AS. The discussion was led by Julie Waites, from the Frozen at Sea Fillets Association. The main themes of the talk were the challenges posed by high prices and reduced quotas, and the importance of working together and supporting each other, and the opportunities presented by these new challenges.
Read more from the UK Summit 2025: Shaping the Future of Seafood - Navigating Trends, Tackling Challenges and Seizing Opportunities
Seafood Trade: Navigating Trends and Overcoming Challenges
The closing session of the Summit included an introduction to the UK Seafood Federation by Dan Aherne, followed by a presentation of the opportunities and prospects for farmed cod in the UK by Cathrin Rabben, Sales Manager at Ode.
The final contribution was the industry talk featuring Morten Hyldborg Jensen from Nordic Group, Tor Bjørklund Larsen from the Norwegian Fishermen’s Organisation, Dan Aherne from New England Seafood, Cathrin Rabben from Ode, and Jordan Muldoon from Asda. This discussion was led by Robin Paxton, Editor in Chief at Intrafish, and focused on the Norway-UK Seafood Trade, as well as the influence of new trends and challenges.
See all the latest figures on the seafood export to the UK on the NSC country pages.