Fisheries Control

As the country’s second-largest export, following oil, the continued success of the Norwegian seafood industry, as well as Norway’s economy, is dependent on meeting and exceeding international food-safety demands. To do so, the nation’s many organizations dedicated to food safety have created a meticulous surveillance system that follows the aquaculture industry’s food chain from feed ingredients to your table, ensuring quality control every step of the way.

• The Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs acts as the secretariat to the Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs and exercises its administrative authority through measures such as adoption and implementation of legislation and regulations.
   
   
• Norwegian Food Safety Authority [NFSA] is the official national supervision and monitoring body for food safety, including seafood safety and the health and welfare of fish. The NFSA is essential to the implementation of the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs’ objectives regarding seafood safety.
   
   
• National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research [NIFES] is a research institute with administrative duties affiliated with the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs. The institute’s research focus is nutrition: feed for fish and fish as food. The institute gives scientific advice to the government and food authorities concerning health and safety aspects for both wild and farmed seafood.

• The Directorate of Fisheries is responsible for implementing seafood safety regulations by following international standards. The Directorate performs approval, inspection, control and analysis to ensure food safety. The thorough quality management is apparent not only in the products, but also through a self-check system and traceability at each stage of production from sea to fork.

• The Coast Guard is responsible for policing the fishing industry at sea and on land to ensure that fisheries are abiding by quota regulations and trapping periods. It also plays an important role in the fight against illegal fishing.

• Norwegian Seafood Council is the Norwegian seafood industry’s joint marketing organization. Its mission is to promote healthy and sustainable Norwegian Seafood in all Norway’s major seafood markets. It also supports marketing activities in many of the more than 140 countries that import Norwegian Seafood.