A year in review: WeAreAquaculture's pick of top stories from 2025

Over the past twelve months, we've covered a wide range of developments in the aquaculture and seafood industry — from quarterly results, investments and deals to leadership changes across the sector.

We've written about new technologies and ambitious projects, on land and offshore. We've tracked global developments in government policy, fisheries management, seafood processing, market trends — and, of course, tariffs. We've also spent time exploring the bigger themes shaping aquaculture, including fish welfare, sustainability, the circular economy and restorative aquaculture.

Can an entire year fit into a single newsletter? Probably not. But here's a look back at some of the key stories and moments covered by WeAreAquaculture over the past year.

We began the year with the major news that Mowi would be taking majority ownership of Nova Sea, one of the largest producers of farmed salmon in Northern Norway – and until then, still family-owned. The transaction, valued at NOK 7.4 billion (EUR 625 million), saw the Olaisen family sell their controlling stake and Mowi increase its ownership from 49% to 95%, and was approved by the relevant authorities in October

"Nova Sea is a frontrunner in the Norwegian aquaculture industry and is known for its excellent biological performance and industry-leading margins. Over 50 years, the company and the Olaisen family have invested in the organisation and developed it into an impressive, fully integrated operation. It is therefore with great pleasure that we are now, after 30 years, combining our operations," said Mowi CEO Ivan Vindheim at the time.

Plus: concerning news came from Norwegian marine researchers, who released ocean data spanning 90 years shows rising temperature of Norway's coastal waters. The "unique" data series, published by scientists at Norway's Institute of Marine Research, demonstrates water along the Norwegian coast has become 1-2ºC warmer since 1935, driving fish species such as cod further north.

What had been a distant threat during the election campaign and had become more tangible in Trump's inauguration speech on January 20 became a reality in February when he ordered a 25% additional tariff on Canadian and Mexican exports to the U.S., and 10% for China. The first two were suspended for a month two days later, on February 3, just one day before they were due to come into effect, but China's tariffs came into force as planned.

On the same day, although potential tariffs for Europe were still up in the air, Norwegian salmon companies already showed their discontent on the Oslo Stock Exchange, whether they had interests in Canada or not. Around the same time, the Norwegian Seafood Council's monthly report revealed that the previous month, the U.S. had been the largest single market in the best January ever for Norwegian seafood exports.

"Tariffs are a powerful, proven source of leverage for protecting the national interest. President Trump is using the tools at hand and taking decisive action that puts Americans' safety and our national security first," read the fact sheet with which The White House reported the measure. The passing months would show that tariffs are, in fact, a tool capable of changing the flow of seafood exports globally.

Plus:  while so many Norwegian salmon companies looked abroad, inside the country, Salmon Evolution, a pioneer in the hybrid flow-through system, announced the launch of the first-ever consumer pack of smoked salmon from a land-based facility to be marketed in the Norwegian retail market.

The European Commission launched a major EU-wide campaign to promote aquaculture, aiming to boost public awareness and support for the sustainable farming of fish, shellfish, and algae across the European Union. The goal of the "EU aquaculture. We work for you with passion" campaign was to offer citizens an immersive "farm to plate" experience and shine a light on the people and practices behind the sector.

Despite a global increase in aquaculture production, the European Commission noted that growth of the sector within the EU had stalled since 2018, due in part to limited public awareness and resistance to new aquaculture sites. The campaign aimed to change this by showcasing the sector's contributions to sustainable food systems and its potential to reduce EU dependency on seafood imports.

Plus: Benchmark Genetics became an independent company. Announced in November, the sale of Benchmark Holdings' genetics business to life science investment firm Novo Holdings was completed on the last day of March.

In April, Norway released its new aquaculture white paper, moving from quantity to sustainability. The government proposed a new management system that makes it more profitable to operate with low environmental impact and good animal welfare, and committed to granting licenses without volume limits.

"The government wants to develop the aquaculture industry and facilitate the greatest possible overall value creation. To achieve this, we must modernize the aquaculture policy. The main initiative in the White Paper is that we will primarily regulate how production affects the environment, fish health, and welfare—not how much is produced," said Norwegian Fisheries and Oceans Minister, Marianne Sivertsen Næss.

Plus: proposed U.S. tariffs continued to provoke plenty of uncertainty within the international seafood industry, as the Whitehouse signalled its intentions to put "U.S. seafood first," with Trump's executive order - 'Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness' - supporting eliminating overregulation and what it considers unfair trade practices by foreign nations.

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) formally launched its new Farm Standard in Barcelona, at a special event during the world's largest seafood trade fair, Seafood Expo Global 2025.

The organization described the updated framework "as a monumental step" which will accelerate "change for Fish, Farm, People, and Planet", consolidating multiple species-specific certification standards into a single, unified system. According to ASC, this new approach is designed to boost efficiency for producers, broaden accessibility, and improve accountability across the aquaculture sector.

Plus: the UK-EU "Brexit reset" deal provoked mixed reactions from the aquaculture and fishing sectors. The head of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation described the deal as "a horror show", while Salmon Scotland CEO Tavish Scott welcomed the agreement as a "breakthrough" which will "reduce costly delays and red tape" for seafood exports.

The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) launched its "Aquaculture is Agriculture" campaign, calling for federal government leadership in the growth and development of aquaculture as part of the fabric of a competitive, innovative, and sustainable Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector.

"It is time to expand the role of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to properly and rightfully embrace the seafood farming sector," the CAIA argued, in an open letter to the Canadian government.

Plus: a further 18 countries formally ratified the High Seas Treaty on the opening day of the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, bringing the total number of ratifications to 49 - just 11 short of the 60 needed for the agreement to enter into force. The treaty ultimately reached its ratification target in September, and subsequently won the prestigious Earth Shot Prize 2025. UNOC also saw the launch of the FAO's "historic" Review of the state of world marine fishery resources, the most comprehensive analysis of its kind ever published.

Another major shakeup in the salmon farming industry came in July, with the news that Grieg Seafood agreed to sell the bulk of its farming operations to Cermaq, in a deal valued at NOK 10.2 billion, or around EUR 855 million / USD 995 million.

Cermaq CEO Steven Rafferty said the acquisition of Grieg's Finnmark, Newfoundland and British Columbia operations would "strengthen" the Mitsubishi-owned salmon farming company’s competitiveness and "contribute to growth."

Following the divestment, Grieg Seafood indicated it will focus its salmon farming operations solely on the Rogaland region in southwestern Norway, its best-performing region in recent years. "This transaction will position both Grieg Seafood and the regions for the future. It allows us to concentrate focus and resources in Rogaland. We aim to continue to be a strong actor in the advancement of sustainable aquaculture in Norway," Grieg Seafood CEO Nina Willumsen Grieg said at the time.

Plus: we learned that in the first half of 2025, Norway's export volume to China reached 42,224 tons of salmon, a 122% increase from the same period last year. Surprising as it may seem, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council, TikTok had a lot to do with this boost in sales.

In August, U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi, and Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, introduced the Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025 in the U.S. Senate, aiming to enhance the capabilities of the aquaculture industry and its technical workforce.

"This legislation would promote seafood production in the United States and would decrease American reliance on seafood imports," Senator Wicker stated at the time.

"Offshore aquaculture can help meet growing seafood demand, support coastal economies, and reduce imports," added Senator Schatz. "Our bill will support the responsible assessment of offshore aquaculture by expanding research and supporting workforce and infrastructure development."

Plus: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published the 'Aqua-Adapt Framework for Aquaculture Climate Change Adaptation', a guide offering global adaptation strategies developed in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (Incar) at the University of Concepción in Chile.

In September, the Norwegian government confirmed it is opening three designated sea areas for development of offshore aquaculture, following several years of preparation and consultation.

"This could become a new industrial adventure at sea, but the development will take place in a controlled and gradual manner with consideration for both the environment and other industries," Norway's Minister for Fisheries and Oceans said.

Plus: the first global treaty to curb harmful fishing subsidies entered into force. The WTO agreement introduced binding rules to combat illegal fishing, protect marine ecosystems and support the livelihoods of millions who depend on fisheries worldwide.

More potentially game-changing legislation from Norway, as the country announced a new incentive scheme designed to speed up Norway’s shift to closed containment aquaculture. Producers who invest in closed fish farming technology will be able to reclaim capacity lost under the country's "traffic light" system, the Norwegian Government announced.

"The arrangement will contribute to the development of new production methods with lower environmental impact than today's open pens. I hope this scheme can be the first step towards realising the principles presented in the Aquaculture White Paper," Norway's Fisheries and Oceans Minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss said, referring to the policy proposals first published in April.

Plus: in a year in which restorative aquaculture has been one of the key topics, in October, we learned that marine restoration company SeaForester had raised USD 1.9 million to accelerate its global expansion and scale restoration of kelp forests.

Scottish salmon was the undisputed star of November. In the same month that, amid growing demand, new figures revealed that its sales in the UK skyrocketed between August 2024 and August 2025, reaching GBP 1.5 billion, it was announced that 'Scottish salmon' is now a protected geographical indication (PGI) in the European Union. This labelling decision by the European Commission means that it has secured a protected legal status throughout the EU, being recognized as a premium product.

"Salmon is one of the jewels in the crown of Scotland's world-class produce and this move will help maintain its hard-earned global reputation for unrivalled quality," said UK Government Scotland Office Minister, Kirsty McNeill.

"The EU PGI will boost consumer confidence across the continent and help us further grow our export market, delivering jobs and investment for rural communities in Scotland," said Tavish Scott, Chief Executive of Salmon Scotland.

Plus: international buyers of jumbo flying squid expect greater traceability, compliance, and environmental and social responsibility throughout the supply chain. Therefore, they demanded greater coordination among Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico, the coastal countries involved in this Pacific fishery.

Published just before Christmas on the Icelandic government's consultation portal, the draft of Iceland's new aquaculture law will be open for comments until January 27.

In a country where the aquaculture industry is becoming increasingly important to the economy—2024 marked a record year for Iceland's aquaculture export value—but which, at the same time, does not have much support from the population—more than 65% of Icelanders opposed open-net salmon farming in a survey also conducted last year—this was a long-awaited piece of legislation.

"Both Icelandic society and companies in aquaculture have long called for a clearer legal framework for the industry. The main emphasis of the draft bills now being presented is to take environmental considerations and animal welfare into account in the future development of aquaculture, for example with regard to incentives for closed cages and sterile salmon and expanded supervisory powers," explained Iceland's Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries, Hanna Katrín Friðriksson.

Plus: Norwegian company Ode marked a new milestone in cod farming by marketing the world's first cod raised using deep-water technology. With the availability of wild cod becoming increasingly uncertain due to declining stocks, this year, farmed cod produced in submerged systems even helped Norwegians to enjoy their traditional cod for Christmas.