USA seafood tariffs are creating a competitive disadvantage for Norway, while exporters in Iceland and the Faroe Islands remain outside the new additional duty. The difference could redirect part of the American seafood market towards Norway’s Nordic competitors, after Norwegian exports to the USA had already fallen sharply during the first half of 2026.
The new measure imposes an additional 12.5% tariff on most Norwegian products, including seafood. It was introduced by the Office of the United States Trade Representative under Section 301 of the Trade Act, following an investigation into whether trading partners adequately prohibit imports made with forced labour.
According to the USA Trade Representative, Norway was among 60 economies investigated. Countries considered to have adopted or committed to suitable import restrictions received a 10% rate, while most of the remaining investigated economies were assigned the higher 12.5% duty.
Iceland and the Faroe Islands were not included in the investigation, meaning their seafood exports do not face this additional tariff.
USA seafood tariffs widen the Nordic price gap
The tariff creates an immediate difference between Norwegian seafood and competing products entering the USA from other parts of the North Atlantic.
The European Union and the United Kingdom face a total tariff level of 10% under the new system. Norwegian products are subject to 12.5%, while Icelandic and Faroese seafood remains exempt from the additional Section 301 duty.
The Faroese public broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya reported that the Norwegian seafood industry has questioned why two of its closest competitors were excluded. The trade organisation Seafood Norway (Sjømat Norge) has highlighted the unequal treatment, particularly for farmed salmon.
The difference of a few percentage points may appear limited, but margins, transport costs and currency movements make seafood prices sensitive to relatively small changes. The tariff is formally paid by American importers, although exporters can also face pressure to reduce their prices to preserve contracts and market shares.
For USA consumers, the measure could therefore result in higher prices for Norwegian salmon or greater availability of products supplied by competing exporters.
Norwegian exports to the USA have fallen by 28%
The new tariff arrives after a substantial decline in Norwegian seafood sales to the American market.
Norway exported seafood worth NOK 6.3 billion (€574 million) to the USA during the first six months of 2026, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council. The value was down by NOK 2.4 billion, or 28%, compared with the same period in 2025.
The conversion is based on the European Central Bank reference rate of 27 July 2026, when one euro was worth approximately NOK 10.98.
The largest declines involved salmon, trout, snow crab and king crab. Fresh whole salmon and fresh salmon fillets have been particularly affected, while uncertainty surrounding American trade policy has made some importers more cautious about contracts and future orders.
The reversal is significant because the USA had developed into one of Norway’s fastest-growing seafood markets. In 2025, Norwegian salmon exports to the country alone were worth NOK 11.3 billion.
In June 2026, China overtook the USA as Norway’s second-largest seafood export destination, behind Poland. The Seafood Council said the decline in the American market was the largest recorded for a single destination since Russia banned Norwegian seafood imports in 2015.
Iceland and the Faroe Islands can gain market share
The exemption creates an opportunity for Icelandic and Faroese producers, particularly in the Atlantic salmon segment.
Norway remains one of the world’s dominant salmon exporters and benefits from large production volumes, established logistics and long-term commercial relationships. Iceland and the Faroe Islands cannot immediately replace Norwegian supply on the same scale.
They can, however, become more attractive to American buyers seeking to reduce tariff exposure. Importers may gradually adjust contracts, product mixes or future investments if the difference remains in place.
The consequences could be especially relevant for the Faroe Islands, where farmed salmon is a central export industry. Iceland has also expanded salmon farming in recent years, although the sector remains politically contested because of its environmental impact on coastal ecosystems and wild salmon populations.
Norwegian companies are not expected to abandon the American market. Coast Seafood, SalMar and other industry representatives cited by E24 stressed that the USA remains the world’s largest seafood importer and an important destination for high-value products.
SalMar executive Runar Sivertsen said it was difficult to understand why Norway had received a higher tariff than several competing exporters. He argued that the cost would ultimately make salmon more expensive in the USA without benefiting producers or consumers.
Norway faces further uncertainty over American trade policy
The 12.5% duty is connected to the US investigation into forced-labour import restrictions. It is separate from another Section 301 investigation concerning structural excess production capacity in manufacturing.
The US Trade Representative included Norway, the European Union and several Asian economies in that second investigation. Its conclusions could lead to further trade measures later in 2026, although seafood is not the central focus of the manufacturing inquiry.
Norwegian exporters must therefore manage both the immediate tariff disadvantage and the possibility of additional changes to the American trade regime.
The Nordic imbalance may become a test of how quickly buyers respond to tariff differences. If the additional duty remains in place, Iceland and the Faroe Islands could strengthen their position in the USA at Norway’s expense, shifting commercial relationships within one of the world’s most important seafood markets.
