Norway records sharp fall in farmed salmon and trout mortality during first half of 2026

Mortality among farmed salmon and trout in Norway fell to its lowest comparable level in the first half of 2026, according to figures analysed by industry organisation Sjømat Norge (Seafood Norway).

The figures show a decrease of 35.7% in mortality between the first six months of 2023 and the corresponding period in 2026. Sjømat Norge said the 2026 total was the lowest for the first half of any year since the comparable series began in 2018.

June 2026 also recorded the lowest fish mortality figure for that month during the 2018–2026 period.

The decline was seen in 11 of Norway’s 13 aquaculture production areas, with the largest reduction recorded in production area 10, covering Andøya to Senja, where mortality fell by 61.5%. Significant falls in mortality were also seen in production area 12 in West Finnmark, which reported a 57.9% decrease, while mortality in production area 3, from Karmøy to Sotra, declined by 55.7%. Production areas 5, 6 and 11 each recorded falls of more than 40%.

Sjømat Norge attributed the national trend to changes in the country's farming operations, including improved vaccines, less intensive treatment methods, new production systems and efforts to produce more robust smolt.

The increasing use of larger smolt may also have contributed by reducing the amount of time fish spend at sea, according to the seafood body. The industry has also expanded cooperation on biosecurity measures across the value chain, it said.

“This is not a coincidence. It is the result of targeted work throughout the value chain,” said Krister Hoaas, Sjømat Norge's head of policy and communications.

“We see an improvement along the entire coast, not just in individual regions. This is not due to coincidences in individual facilities or operational improvements at individual companies. Here, there is an entire industry that has worked and is continuously working to improve production,” he added.

However, mortality did not fall in every region. Production area 1, which stretches from the Swedish border to Jæren, recorded a marked increase following an outbreak of toxic algae. Production area 13 in East Finnmark also reported a smaller rise from a relatively low starting point.

Sjømat Norge pointed out that these two areas have the lowest production volumes of Norway’s 13 aquaculture regions, meaning individual incidents can have a greater effect on their percentage results.

“The figures for PO1 clearly differ from the rest of the country and the explanation is obvious. There, an attack of toxic algae had an acute and sometimes severe impact on mortality,” Hoaas said.

Sjømat Norge argued that the decline in mortality should be taken into account when authorities develop policies affecting the aquaculture sector.

“When we see a decline of over 35% in three years, driven by real improvements, it is important that policy is based on actual developments in the industry,” Hoaas said.

In 2023 Norway recorded its highest-ever mortality rate of sea-phase salmon, reaching 62.8 million, and prompting calls for serious action on fish health and welfare.

In 2024, veterinary associations and fish health experts from across Norway called for stricter regulation on mortality and proposed incentivising better fish welfare by permitting only the 25% top-performing operators within each production area to grow their operations.

As part of its reform of aqauculture regulation confirmed in 2025, the Norwegian government stated its aim to cut fish mortality to 5%, bringing in penalties for high mortality while rewarding welfare-focused operations.

In February this year, the Norwegian Veterinary Institute released figures showing mortality among farmed salmon during the sea phase in Norway fell to an estimated 14.2% in 2025 as a whole, down from 15.4% the previous year and 16.7% in 2023.

At the time, the institute said the calculations, based on monthly reports submitted by fish farmers to the authorities, showed the national mortality rate dropping below 15% for the first time in several years.