The Norwegian Parliament has unanimously agreed to extend the Fish Export Act to cover seaweed. This means that seaweed would be officially classified in Norway as seafood.
Proposition 47 L (2022-2023) would thus be approved for the last step: implementation in law. The proposal would thus broaden the scope of the Fish Export Act to include macroalgae.
As a result, the regulation would facilitate the development of the seaweed industry in Norway, a country with the longest coastline in Europe and some of its cleanest waters, two characteristics that lead it to the potential to be a big player in the sector.
Following the approval of the law, the seaweed industry now has access to resources and frameworks that will favor its expansion.
The law allows for a market fee and a research fee to be charged. Moreover, the seaweed would now be included in the work areas of the Norwegian Seafood Council and the research funding of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Industry (FHF).
The seaweed sector is gradually becoming more and more popular. This sector has many possibilities and, above all, it can be very environmentally friendly. Norway is starting to aim high in an industry that offers a lot.