Salmon farming is concentrated among a few major producing countries, but its statistics differ by geography and measurement. Global Atlantic salmon supply was approximately 2,863,700 tonnes in 2022, while Norway, Chile, Scotland, Canada, and Chilean regional facilities provide more detailed views of output, prices, farm cohorts, and mortality.
Contents
- Global output and producer trends
- Norway’s production by region
- Prices, costs, and operating margins
- Scotland’s harvest and fish cohorts
- Canada’s farmed salmon production
- Chile’s freshwater farming footprint
- Chile’s marine-farming composition
Global output and producer trends
The FAO’s Salmon - Main producers see record-breaking exports reported approximately 2,863,700 tonnes of global Atlantic salmon supply in 2022. That was a 1.1% decrease from 2021 to 2022, showing a slight contraction in the worldwide total over the period.
Norway remained the largest named producer in the supplied figures, producing 1,511,100 tonnes of Atlantic salmon in 2022. Norwegian production decreased 1.4% from 2021 to 2022. The country’s farmed-salmon standing biomass at the end of the fourth quarter of 2022 was also 1.3% lower than at the end of the fourth quarter of 2021.
Chile harvested 692,800 tonnes of Atlantic salmon during January through November 2022. Its harvest increased 3.4% year over year during that January-November comparison. The different reporting periods matter: Chile’s figure covers eleven months, whereas the global and Norwegian figures are presented for the full 2022 year.
These figures describe supply and harvest, not necessarily the same physical measure. A reported harvest, sold quantity, standing biomass, and production total answer different questions, so they should not be combined as if they were interchangeable.
Norway’s production by region
Norwegian farms sold 1,517,516 tonnes of Atlantic salmon in 2023, measured as round weight, according to Key figures from Norwegian Aquaculture Industry 2023. Those sales were valued at 106,542,299 thousand NOK, with an average sales price of 70.21 NOK per kg.
The regional sales distribution was:
| Norwegian region | Atlantic salmon sales, 2023 | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Finnmark | 115,990 tonnes | Round-weight sales |
| Troms | 225,617 tonnes | Round-weight sales |
| Nordland | 352,520 tonnes | Round-weight sales |
| Trøndelag | 228,692 tonnes | Round-weight sales |
| Møre og Romsdal | 206,064 tonnes | Round-weight sales |
| Vestland | 263,847 tonnes | Round-weight sales |
Nordland recorded the largest regional quantity among the regions listed, at 352,520 tonnes. Vestland followed at 263,847 tonnes, while Trøndelag sold 228,692 tonnes and Troms sold 225,617 tonnes. Møre og Romsdal recorded 206,064 tonnes, and Finnmark recorded 115,990 tonnes.
Industry concentration was also material. The ten largest Norwegian companies accounted for 69.0% of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout sales in 2023. This concentration measure covers the two species together, while the regional quantities above refer specifically to Atlantic salmon.
Prices, costs, and operating margins
Norwegian profitability changed substantially between 2023 and 2024. The Profitability survey for production of salmon and rainbow trout 2024 reported an average operating margin of 10.9% for Norwegian grow-out producers of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout in 2024. The corresponding 2023 figure was 18.3%.
Norwegian hatcheries producing Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout had a higher average operating margin of 21.8% in 2024. The grow-out and hatchery figures describe different stages of production and should be read separately.
The average Norwegian Atlantic salmon sales price decreased from 69.22 NOK/kg in 2023 to 68.26 NOK/kg in 2024. Average total production cost for Norwegian farmed salmon and rainbow trout was 64.64 NOK/kg in 2024. Feed represented 39.8% of total production cost per kg, and the average feeding cost was 25.67 NOK/kg.
Other cost indicators moved in different directions. Average smolt cost increased from 6.91 NOK/kg in 2023 to 8.40 NOK/kg in 2024. Average net financial cost decreased from 2.13 NOK/kg in 2023 to 0.92 NOK/kg in 2024. These are reported industry averages for the stated years, not forecasts for future prices or margins.
Scotland’s harvest and fish cohorts
Scotland produced 192,000 tonnes of farmed Atlantic salmon in 2024, an increase of 41,051 tonnes, or 27%, from 2023. The sector estimated 195,182 tonnes for 2025 based on stocks already on-grown; this is a forecast, not a completed harvest. These figures come from 3. Atlantic Salmon - Production - Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2024.
The 2024 harvest can be viewed by fish cohort:
| Scottish category | Harvest, 2024 | Mean harvested weight |
|---|---|---|
| Year-0 Atlantic salmon | 174 tonnes | 3.4 kg |
| Year-1 Atlantic salmon | 113,139 tonnes | 5.3 kg |
| Year-2 Atlantic salmon | 78,687 tonnes | 5.9 kg |
Year-0 fish accounted for less than 1% of Scotland’s annual farmed Atlantic salmon harvest by weight. Year-1 fish supplied 113,139 tonnes, while year-2 fish supplied 78,687 tonnes. The mean harvested weight rose from 3.4 kg for year-0 fish to 5.3 kg for year-1 fish and 5.9 kg for year-2 fish.
Scotland also reported 66,995 tonnes of grilse and 46,144 tonnes of pre-salmon harvested in 2024. Grilse accounted for 35% of annual harvest by weight, and year-2 salmon accounted for 41%. These categories describe different ways of organizing the harvest, so their percentages should not be added together.
Canada’s farmed salmon production
Canada produced 82,729 tonnes of farmed salmon in 2023, valued at 865,909 thousand dollars, according to Aquaculture production quantities and value, 2023. Provincial production included 9,882 tonnes in Nova Scotia, 22,780 tonnes in New Brunswick, and 50,067 tonnes in British Columbia.
Canada’s total aquaculture production across species was 145,985 tonnes in 2023. Farmed salmon therefore formed a substantial part of the national aquaculture picture, but the supplied figures do not provide a single directly stated percentage for the 2023 total.
The national aquaculture summary, Aquaculture production quantities and value, reported that Canadian salmon production in 2024 was a little under 55,000 tonnes. It also reported that farmed salmon represented 55% of Canada’s total aquaculture volume in 2024. The 2024 description is not expressed with the same precision as the 2023 production total, so the two annual figures should not be treated as equally exact.
Chile’s freshwater farming footprint
Chile’s freshwater salmon-farming network included 68 active centers in Los Lagos in 2024, 36 in Araucanía, 28 in Los Ríos, and 6 in Aysén. These regional counts are reported in Informe Situación Sanitaria Salmonicultura Año 2024.
Atlantic salmon in Chilean freshwater centers reached a maximum inventory of 282 million fish in March 2024. Across Chilean freshwater salmon-farming centers, average monthly mortality was 4.86% in 2024. For Atlantic salmon specifically, average monthly freshwater mortality was 4.4% in 2024.
The distinction between the all-species freshwater-center average and the Atlantic-salmon figure is important. The 4.86% figure covers the reported freshwater salmon-farming centers, while 4.4% is the Atlantic salmon indicator for the same 2024 period.
Chile’s marine-farming composition
Chile’s maximum number of active marine salmon-farming centers was 357 in August 2024. The operating marine species mix in 2024 was 69% Atlantic salmon farms, 25% coho salmon farms, and 6% rainbow-trout farms, according to Informe Situación Sanitaria Salmonicultura Año 2024.
| Marine species farm type | Share of operating centers, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Atlantic salmon | 69% |
| Coho salmon | 25% |
| Rainbow trout | 6% |
The composition indicates that Atlantic salmon farms made up the majority of operating marine species centers in Chile during 2024. Coho farms represented one quarter, while rainbow-trout farms represented 6%. These are shares of operating centers, not shares of harvested tonnage, biomass, or revenue.
How to read the measurements
The statistics in this overview cover several points in the farming cycle. Production and harvest figures describe fish output over a period, sales figures describe quantities sold, and standing biomass or inventory figures describe fish present at a specified point in time. Center counts describe operating locations rather than the quantity of fish at each location.
The country comparisons also use different reporting conventions. Norway’s 2023 sales quantity is explicitly measured as round weight. Scotland’s cohort figures are harvest weights paired with mean fish weights. Canada’s 2024 national summary uses the phrase “a little under 55,000 tonnes,” while the 2023 Canadian total is reported to the tonne. Chile’s freshwater mortality figures are average monthly rates, and its marine percentages are shares of operating centers. Keeping those units and periods separate is essential when using salmon farming statistics for food, supply, or industry context.