Blue Empire – an updated summary

Foodrise’s Blue Empire: 2026 Summary Update provides a progress update on the impact of Norway’s enormous salmon farming industry on communities in West Africa two years on from the publication of our landmark report.  

In it, we highlight key changes to corporate sourcing practices and policy developments. 

Read the full summary.  

What’s the problem? 

The global salmon farming industry is creating a new type of food colonialism, extracting huge quantities of wild fish from the Global South, not to feed people, but to feed farmed salmon in the Global North. 

Our Blue Empire report, published in 2024, exposed the role of the world’s biggest producer of farmed salmon, Norway, in this global chain of extraction.  

For the first time, we quantified the huge volume of wild fish used by the Norwegian salmon farming giants and detailed how they were taking fish from communities in West Africa, who rely on it as both food and a source of income, to fuel corporate profits. 

Key updates:  

• In January 2026, Guinea-Bissau issued a historic decree banning the production of fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) production.  

• The Mauritanian government has also taken strong action on FMFO factories. The number of factories has dropped from 44 in 2022 to just 8 active sites by late 2025. 

• Multinational feed companies Skretting, BioMar and Cargill are still sourcing from West Africa. 

• Mowi is no longer sourcing fish oil from West Africa. However, it has made no formal commitment to stop sourcing from the region. 

Policy recommendations: 

We recommend that Norwegian government: 

• Takes steps to halt the growth of Norway’s salmon farming sector. 

• Makes full transparency on feed sourcing mandatory at each stage of the aquaculture supply chain. 

• Ensures that the activities and sourcing practices of Norwegian companies in the Global South do not run counter to Norwegian development policy 

What the experts say: 

Amelia Cookson, Campaigner at Foodrise, said: 

‘The Norwegian salmon farming industry cannot be left to police itself. This enormous industry is continuing to hoover up huge quantities of wild fish in West Africa, harming communities to fuel corporate profits. They must stop now. Guinea-Bissau is leading the way in turning the tide on this destructive industry by banning the production of fishmeal and fish oil. It’s time for other countries to step up and regulate this harmful industry.’ 

Read the updated summary: