The Atlantic farm salmon market is showing a unique trend in 2025, as market participants report an abundant supply of fresh Atlantic salmon from Norway and Scotland. For example, the Norwegian Seafood Council reported that the export of fresh whole Atlantic salmon, head-on, increased by 51% year-on-year in April, with a month-on-month growth of 4.8%.
The Scottish Atlantic farm salmon industry has also experienced a production recovery in 2024, with a 59.4% increase in the export of fresh salmon, reaching a total of 108,144 metric tons (MT). Additionally, the Scottish government reported total production in 2024 at around 185,207 MT. In 2025, the total export of Scottish Atlantic salmon has shown significant growth in the first three months (Fig 1), reaching 33,137 MT, which represents an increase of 88.45% year-to-date (January-March).
France is the main destination for Scottish salmon, accounting for 40% of exports, followed by the US and China at 37.8% and 10.6%, respectively. However, a reduction in market share for the French market has been observed; in 2024, it held a share of 54%. This change has allowed countries such as the US, China, Ireland, and Canada to gain export shares in 2025.
Figure 1: Accumulated export in MT of Scottish Atlantic salmon from January to March. Source: Global Trade Tracker.
The current export data indicate better production performance in 2025 compared to 2024 and 2023. The reduction in the mortality percentage (Fig 2) also reflects this good production level. The latest mortality data of farmed salmon shows that the mortality percentage is significantly lower from January to March than the 5-year average. Historically, there have been spikes in mortality from August to October. However, it is important to note that this year the mortality rate is especially low.
Figure 2: Monthly mortality (%) represents the percentage of fish lost on each farm every month. Source: Scottish Government’s Fish Health Inspectorate.
The Expana Benchmark Prices (EBP) for Scottish salmon FOB Glasgow weighing 4-5 kg show a weak market sentiment due to several previously mentioned factors. This has resulted in a price decrease of 6.4% compared to the previous month and 7.3% compared to the previous week. In week 22, the price for Scottish salmon FOB Glasgow 4-5 EBP was €6.6 per kg ($7.44 – £5.53).
Image source: Shutterstock
Written by Boris Ampuero
