Almost all salmon eaten in Norway – or in the rest of the world for that matter – is farmed salmon. Since the outset 40 years ago, Norway has become the largest salmon producer in the world, with an annual export equivalent to 14 million portions – every day!

Norwegian ocean-farmed salmon are raised in pens in the cold, clear waters of Norway.

Each year, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority takes around 12,000 fish from Norwegian fish farms to be analysed by NIFES for a large number of undesirable and banned substances. The institute has established four modern laboratories and is a national reference laboratory for a number of analysis methods.

To prevent overcrowding and ensure sufficient swimming space, ocean net pens contain 2.5% fish to 97.5% water. Salmon are given the time, space and opportunity to fully mature.