Norway reports fewer substandard fish harvested in first half of year

In the first half of 2026, the share of production fish - fish that have wounds, deformities or other quality defects when harvested - was 10.6% of the harvest volume, compared to 17.7% in the first half of 2025 and 30% in the first half of 2024. At the same time, the harvest volume is at a record high.

This is stated in a press release by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet).

Production fish cannot be sold directly for normal consumption, but must be corrected through processing before they can be sold as food.

"We see a clear decline in the proportion of production fish, while the harvest volume is higher than ever for this period of the year. This is a positive development," said Kasper Løberg Tangen, section manager for fish health and welfare at Mattilsynet.

Mattilsynet's statistics are updated up to and including the second quarter of 2026 at the national level and the first quarter of 2026 for the country's 13 fish farming production areas.

Better quality without lower production

The quality is better: compared to the same period in recent years, the proportion of production fish is lower, and the discard rate remains low and stable. At the same time, the harvest volume is at a record high.

"The decrease may indicate better fish welfare, since some of the criteria for production fish are linked to injuries and signs of disease in the fish," said Tangen.

He also emphasised that the statistics themselves do not show what explains the decline.

The figures nevertheless indicate that the improvement applies broadly, and not just to certain areas or parts of the industry.

Seasonal pattern persists, but at a lower level

The pattern from previous years is repeating: the harvest volume is lowest in the first and second quarters and highest in the third and fourth, while production fish follow the opposite pattern with the highest share in the first half of the year.

What is new this year is the level. Even in the quarters that normally have the most production fish, the proportion is clearly below what has been the case in corresponding quarters in recent years.

Improvement throughout the country

Figures for the production areas (PO) in the first quarter of 2026 show that the improvement also applies regionally. The differences between the areas are smaller than before, and the connection between high volume and high proportion of production fish is weaker than before.

The largest production areas had both high harvest volumes and a low share of production fish. PO6 Nordmøre and Sør-Trøndelag had the largest harvest volume in the country (73,900 tonnes) and 6% production fish. PO3 Karmøy to Sotra (54,912 tonnes harvest, 7.1% production fish) shows the same pattern.

The highest share of production fish in the first quarter was in PO10 Andøya to Senja (16.4%) and PO1-2 Svenskegrensen to Jæren and Ryfylke (15.3%). Both levels are still clearly lower than what several areas had in 2025.

The most striking development is in PO6 Nordmøre and Sør-Trøndelag, which had the highest share of production fish on an annual basis in 2025, but which is now among the areas with the lowest share.

"What makes this picture interesting is that the improvement appears to apply broadly and not just in certain areas. We will continue to monitor developments to see if the trend holds," Tangen concludes.

The next update, with figures for the production areas in the second quarter, will come in November.