Faced with the increasingly unpredictable availability of fresh wild cod, there is growing interest in farming alternatives.
Photo: Mar de Noruega.
Recently, Nils Gunnar Kvamstø and Johanna Fall, both researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, published an opinion piece in the local newspaper Fædrelandsvennen in which, concerned about the continuing decline of the species on the Norwegian coast, they asked: "Will there be cod for Christmas?"
The answer to the question is: Yes, Norwegians can have fresh cod for Christmas dinner. At least, they can have fresh farmed cod, as Norwegian cod farmer Ode is supplying farmed cod to the market in the Christmas season. In fact, it is the only supplier of farmed cod delivering to the market during this period.
A tradition linked to the former Catholic habit of fasting during Advent-when meat was not allowed-fish, and specifically cod, ended up becoming a Christmas Eve classic in Norway. As explained in the Fædrelandsvennen article, although Christmas cod is becoming increasingly optional, for many it remains a classic, especially in Southern and Southwestern Norway.
However, even with attenuated Christmas demand, wild cod availability is declining in the Nordic country. As researchers, Nils Gunnar Kvamstø and Johanna Fall explained in their article—which can also be read on the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research website—the situation for this species has been very poor over the last 25 years.
Not only that, but they also pointed out that, in addition to declining, it is also worrying that cod are reaching sexual maturity earlier. Both, they say, are clear signs of a stock under severe pressure.
"100 years ago, both fishermen and early marine scientists believed that the sea was an almost inexhaustible source of cod," they wrote. "Today we know better – and past overfishing is one obvious cause of the cod crisis."
Precisely to avoid this overfishing and try to preserve wild cod stocks, the Norwegian Government has just reached fishing agreements for 2026 with the EU and the UK, as well as with Russia, both marked by quota cuts.
At the same time that marine scientists are expressing concern about the availability of wild cod for the Christmas season due to these historically low levels of coastal stocks, Norwegian cod farmer Ode announced a milestone this week: the harvesting and marketing of the world's first cod farmed using deep-sea technology.
As Ode pointed out when announcing the news, in this context of scarce supply of fresh wild cod, submerged aquaculture stands out in the latest risk assessment by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research as a promising technology for cod farming, contributing to a more stable and predictable supply.
Thus, this Christmas season, farmed cod from Ode is being served on dinner tables not just across Norway but internationally. In fact, as the company confirmed to WeAreAquaculture, at present, it is the only supplier delivering farmed cod to the market during this period.
Faced with the increasingly unpredictable availability of fresh wild cod, there is growing interest in farming alternatives that can offer consistent quality and supply. Thus, with farmed cod accounting for 51% of the value of Norwegian fresh cod exports in November, the possibility that the Christmas cod to be enjoyed tonight and tomorrow at many Christmas tables, including in Norway, will be farmed is increasing.
P.S.: If you want to enjoy the 'Norwegian cod for Christmas', you can find the recipe here.