Norwegian salmon at a Hema Shenzhen supermarket fish counter in China.
Photo: Sigmund Bjørgo / Norwegian Seafood Council.
Yesterday, February 17th, marked the beginning of the Chinese New Year celebrations, the Year of the Fire Horse, which in 2026 will extend until March 3rd. However, if we look at the weekly export data provided by the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), we could almost say that 2026 could be the year of Norwegian salmon, at least initially.
In January, measured both in volume and value, China was Norway's second-largest growth market, only Poland was larger, and, as the NSC's envoy to China, Sigmund Bjørgo, explained, everything pointed to Norwegian salmon exports to China growing even more in the lead-up to the holiday.
"The last two weeks have been particularly strong," Bjørgo said then. "Prices for Norwegian salmon have been significantly lower in January compared with the same month last year, so we can expect to have gained market share."
Now, the figures have proven him right, and, according to statistics from the Norwegian Seafood Council, in week 6 of the year alone, from Monday, February 2 to Sunday, February 8, 2026, Norway exported 4,084 tons of whole fresh salmon, not only exceeding but almost doubling the 2,358 tons exported to Poland, the next largest destination market.
The figure becomes even more significant when compared to January's exports, which totalled 10,997 tonnes of salmon products to China, valued at NOK 1 billion. It was the first time ever that Norwegian salmon exports to China had exceeded that figure.
Compared to January's export volumes, the volume for the first week of February, the sixth week of the year, already represents more than 37% of that amount. While the value is still pending, the figures for the new year seem to inspire optimism.
In the NSC report on Norwegian seafood exports for January 2026, its envoy to China already predicted the good results.
"Many producers are now marketing gift packs of salmon. This year, Chinese New Year is on 16 February, three weeks later than last year, and there are official holidays from 15 February to 23 February. We can therefore expect the market to remain strong in the coming weeks," Bjørgo then stated.
In 2026, February 16, which Sigmund Bjørgo referred to, coincides with the day before the Chinese New Year, the equivalent of the Western New Year's Eve.
In Chinese, the word for fish (yu, 鱼) sounds the same as the word for "surplus" or "leftover" (yu, 余), and the traditional phrase nián nián yǒuyú (年年有余) means "may each year bring abundance," which is often associated with having surplus food or money at the end of the year, guaranteeing prosperity.
Therefore, eating fish is a fundamental tradition that symbolizes abundance, wealth and good fortune for the coming year, which increases the demand for fish, in this case salmon, for that specific date.
Nevertheless, as the Norwegian Seafood Council itself warned, this extraordinary export growth must be seen in this context of the Chinese New Year, which, as said, is a strong season for salmon consumption in China both before and during the celebrations.
Although, as mentioned, the figures are encouraging and the data for the last week before the celebration, from February 9 to 15, are still pending, it is also true that once the celebrations begin, China practically comes to a standstill for the holidays, and, therefore, it is normal for exports to fall.
But, while awaiting the final figures, we can say that, whether it's because favorable production conditions have resulted in higher volumes; the uncertainty in global trade caused by U.S. tariffs and a weak dollar have shifted exports from the U.S. to Poland and Asia, especially China; because of the Chinese New Year; or a combination of all these factors; the start of the new year for Norwegian salmon could not have been better in the Asian giant.
