Norway sets out first roadmap for sustainable aquatic food systems

Norway has published its first roadmap for sustainable aquatic food systems, bringing together government policies and initiatives covering seafood production, sustainability and food security.

The roadmap was presented by Fisheries and Oceans Minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss last week. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, it provides the country's first comprehensive overview of work intended to ensure that aquatic food systems contribute to food security while developing sustainably.

Rather than setting out a standalone package of new measures, the document draws together existing strategies, plans and government processes affecting seafood and aquatic food systems, including work spanning different ministries.

"The seafood industry's most important task is to produce food, and I want the entire food system to understand how each individual actor affects seafood's availability, food safety, healthiness, quality, price, reputation and consumer choice," Sivertsen Næss said.

"With this roadmap, we highlight the role of seafood in sustainable food systems and show how we work to safeguard both the ocean, resources and food security."

The government is placing particular emphasis on the role of fisheries and aquaculture in Norway's food security at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, climate change and growing concern over security of supply.

Norway's extensive fisheries and aquaculture sectors provide food production and associated infrastructure along much of the country's coastline. The government argues that these resources should form part of wider planning for national preparedness.

"Seafood is an important part of Norway's food security. We have a unique opportunity to harvest and produce food from the sea along the entire coast," Sivertsen Næss said.

"The roadmap has important links to the emergency preparedness system. It provides a comprehensive overview of the systems that contribute to food security on a daily basis, and thus enables planning for good emergency preparedness in crises. Then crisis situations do not have to become crises," she explained.

The roadmap covers issues such as producing sufficient quantities of safe and healthy seafood, reducing environmental impacts, protecting nature and animal welfare, and maintaining employment and economic activity in coastal communities. The ministry says bringing the different strands of government work together should also improve coordination and make it easier to identify how they relate to the wider food system.

Domestic seafood consumption is another part of the government's approach. The roadmap considers sustainable food systems in terms of what people eat as well as how food is produced.

The government wants seafood to become an easier and more attractive choice for consumers, in line with dietary recommendations, and sees increased consumption as relevant to public health, nutrition and food security.

"We need a good overview to produce enough, healthy and safe seafood, reduce environmental impact, take care of nature, ensure animal welfare and secure jobs and activity along the coast," Sivertsen Næss said.

The roadmap also reflects Norway's efforts to raise the profile of aquatic foods in international discussions about sustainable food systems.

"The ocean is one of the world's most important food bowls. Norway has both the knowledge, the resources and the management model needed to show how sustainable food from the ocean can contribute to food security, better public health and value creation," Sivertsen Næss said.

"We also want to be a driving force internationally for seafood to play a greater role in the diet of the future. We will take that responsibility."

The move follows a series of initiatives led by both Norwegian government and industry groups in recent months, including the launch of an international working group focusing on how to increase seafood consumption. Earlier this year, Sivertsen Naess urged the Norwegian public to increase their consumption of fish and seafood, warning that domestic demand has been falling despite the country’s status as Europe’s largest seafood producer and a major exporter.

According to Ministry figures, seafood consumption in Norway has declined by around 18% since 2014, while more recent analysis from the Norwegian Seafood Council indicated consumption in Norway fell from 18.26 to 17.94 kilograms per person in just one year (2024–2025).

The Council, which works with the Norwegian fisheries and aquaculture industries to develop markets for Norwegian seafood, has recently embarked on a high-profile campaign to raise the profile of seafood both at home and abroad via a partnership with Norwegian footballer Erling Braut Haaland, agreed until at least 2028.

The full Roadmap for Sustainable Aquatic Food Systems is available from the Norwegian government's website.