2025 has been an exciting year for Lerøy. Across the group, we have strengthened our position through innovation in aquaculture, focused work on people and leadership, and an increased presence in both established and emerging markets.
Here are some of the highlights from Lerøy Seafood Group ASA over the past year.
In June this year, Lerøy launched a comprehensive knowledge campaign in Norway aimed at increasing understanding of how the company works with key topics within aquaculture and fisheries. The campaign consists of a series of articles and video episodes, widely distributed through several online news outlets as well as on VGTV.
So far, the campaign has highlighted Lerøy’s continuous improvement efforts in fish welfare and fish health in aquaculture, the company’s contribution to Norway’s food preparedness, and initiatives to reduce the environmental footprint of marine farming operations. Lerøy’s investment in seaweed production is also presented as part of the solution for a more sustainable industry.
Through the campaign, audiences meet Lerøy employees who share insights into their work and personal engagement. The campaign has been well received and has reached a wide audience, providing valuable insight into the important work being done to ensure healthy, sustainable, and high-quality seafood – from fjord to table.
This year, Lerøy opened new offices in Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, and India, reinforcing our presence in Asia. This is part of Project Dragonbite, our strategic initiative aimed at building a resilient organization and long-term relationships with key customers.
Thailand has long been an important market for Norwegian seafood, with strong demand for salmon, trout, and whitefish. The new office will serve as a regional hub and provide closer access to other emerging markets in Southeast Asia.
India represents an exciting new opportunity. Following the recent free trade agreement between India and EFTA, tariffs on salmon and trout have been significantly reduced, opening the door for Norwegian seafood in the world’s most populous country. Lerøy has established a local office led by Praveen Dhawan, who will focus on developing the market, building partnerships, and driving sales growth. This initiative positions Lerøy to become a leading player in India’s rapidly expanding seafood sector.
In 2025, Lerøy opened a new aquaculture showcase center in Kirkenes. The center gives local residents, school groups, and visitors an inside look at modern aquaculture, with a focus on fish welfare, environmental responsibility, and year-round employment.
The center strengthens Lerøy’s presence in East Finnmark while promoting transparency, knowledge sharing, and local value creation. It also serves as a key platform for dialogue on aquaculture’s role in the region.
Aurora Bear has been a key part of Aurora salmon marketing in Japan, engaging children and adults alike. In 2025, the mascot stepped beyond printed campaigns to participate in live events, generating excitement and visibility among customers and partners. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and Aurora Bear has become a true symbol of the brand.
Through Ocean Harvest, Lerøy has been cultivating and harvesting seaweed, including winged kelp and sugar kelp, for over ten years. This year, we also added sea lettuce to our production, expanding our knowledge of seaweed as a sustainable, future-focused resource from the ocean.
The seaweed is harvested for use in food, animal feed, fertilizers, biogas, and innovative biodegradable products such as packaging, plant pots, and bioplastics. This work demonstrates how marine resources can be used more holistically, creating both innovation and new value.
Plastic plant pots create waste and emissions when discarded. To tackle this, Lerøy partnered with the Bioregion Institute to develop Woolly, a biodegradable plant pot made from wool from wild sheep in Bulandet and seaweed cultivated by Lerøy on the West Coast.
“Our goal is to become the world’s most sustainable seafood company, and the Woolly project shows how we can make an impact beyond our core business,” says Pål Erik Michelsen, Head of Brand and Innovation.
The Woolly pot keeps roots moist and enriches the soil as it decomposes, offering a sustainable alternative to plastic and supporting a circular system.
This year we marked International Women’s Day by highlighting the inspiring work of Lerøy Spain in promoting gender equality. Lerøy aims for 40 percent of leadership positions to be held by women by 2030. In Lerøy Processing Spain, that goal has already been surpassed, with 57 percent female leaders.
“Our efforts to promote women in leadership are a natural part of our approach to people and talent development. We focus on competence and potential, regardless of gender,” says María Stefanova, Director of People & Values at Lerøy Processing Spain.
The results in Spain demonstrate that long-term, systematic work on skills development, recruitment, and culture delivers real impact and serves as inspiration for the wider group.
As part of the Seafood from Norway collaboration with the Norwegian Football Federation, Lerøy welcomed Norway’s Seafood Council and national team players Vilde Bøe Risa and Alexander Sørloth to our processing plant in Madrid.
They gained a unique insight into how high-quality Norwegian seafood—from salmon and trout to cod—is processed and tailored for the Spanish market. The visit included a fun and engaging “sushi match,” where players, the Seafood Council, and CEO Henning Beltestad tried their hand in the kitchen under the guidance of Head Chef Fredrik Hald.
Lerøy participated in Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, the world’s largest seafood trade show. The event provides a key platform to meet existing clients, explore new partnerships, and connect with potential customers worldwide.
Participation offers valuable opportunities for dialogue, insights into market trends, and the strengthening of global relationships in an increasingly competitive industry.
In November 2025, SalMar and Lerøy announced a joint investment in next-generation closed-containment technology: Aquatraz C2. This project reflects both companies’ long-term, innovation-driven commitment to developing solutions for the future of aquaculture.
Six new Aquatraz C2 units will be constructed, building on lessons learned from previous generations. The goal is to address key challenges such as sea lice and emissions while improving fish welfare and biological control.
This investment underscores how collaboration, scale, and knowledge sharing can reduce risk and drive the industry toward more sustainable solutions.
Everything we achieved in 2025 has laid a solid foundation for the future. We take the lessons and experiences from the past year with us as we continue our work in innovation, sustainability, and the development of people and markets.
In 2026, we look forward to new opportunities and challenges, with continued focus on creating value, fostering collaboration, and driving growth for Lerøy and the communities we are part of.
