Globally leading supplier of high-quality seafood
From fjord to fork
Integrated value chain
Lerøy is developing the world’s most efficient and sustainable value chain for seafood.
Smolt
Wild catch
Globally leading supplier of high-quality seafood
We supply the equivalent of 5 million seafood meals every single day. We are working together to create the world’s most efficient and sustainable value chain for seafood.
5 million
Lerøy supplies 5 million meals per day to 80 countries
2 million
One of our trawlers transports the equivalent of 2 million meals
1 million
Lerøy supplies 1 million meals per week in Norway
20 million
One single Lerøy fish farm can contain enough fish to make 20 million meals
Local roots, global perspective
Lerøy’s workforce is involved in:
• Aquaculture
• Wild catch
• Value added processing, sales and distribution
Lerøy Sjøtroll
Lerøy Midt
Lerøy Aurora
North America
Norway
Scotland/Shetland
UK
Spain
Portugal
Nutritious food – sustainable future
Lerøy is a leading supplier of Norwegian seafood and an important contributor to the global food supply. The journey from fjord to fork reflects our passion for quality, sustainability and innovation.
Innovation in aquaculture
Our aquaculture business comprises fully integrated value chains in Northern, Central and Western Norway. Lerøy Aurora, Lerøy Midt and Lerøy Sjøtroll are major employers along the Norwegian coast and a driving force for biological and technological advances in the sustainable production of salmon and trout.
Lerøy has become Norway’s leading company in wild catch and processing of whitefish
Following a major Norwegian business acquisition in 2016, Lerøy has been Norway’s leading whitefish catch and processing enterprise. Lerøy Havfisk operates ten trawlers, while Lerøy Norway Seafoods operates receiving and processing facilities in Båtsfjord, Nesseby, Kjøllefjord, Berlevåg, Sørvær, Skårvågen, Melbu, Stamsund and Hammerfest, where we have two sites.
Finland
Sweden
Denmark
Netherlands
France
Italy
Turkey
China
Japan
Value added processing, sales and distribution
Our global processing, sales and distribution activities ensure that Lerøy’s wide range of seafood products are nationally and internationally available and meet every requirement with respect to quality. We distribute millions of units of seafood products to supermarkets, restaurants, canteens and hotels in more than 80 countries worldwide.
Our sales and distribution department operates from offices in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Japan, China and the USA.
A constantly developing enterprise
Lerøy’s CEO, Henning Beltestad, is optimistic about the future and the exciting times ahead.
Henning Beltestad | CEO
HONEST OPEN RESPONSIBLE Creative
125 years ago, Ole Mikkel Lerøen started selling fish straight from his open wooden rowing boat at Bergen’s famous fish market. Now, Lerøy is one of the world’s largest seafood companies, distributing Norwegian seafood across the globe. We have an eternal perspective on everything we do, and we continue to develop. For the first time ever, our revenues exceeded NOK 30 billion in 2023. At the same time, 2023 was a challenging year in certain areas.
Structured and targeted work
We are working in a structured and targeted way to resolve our challenges and create the world’s most efficient and sustainable value chain for seafood. We are constantly searching for ways to improve our company. We learned more in 2023 than we have ever done before. We have gained new and better insights about biology and technology, and our ability to analyse and use vast quantities of data means that we are moving faster.
Our wild catch business segment has seen reductions in catch quotas for all our main species in recent years. Nevertheless, we managed to catch our largest volume ever in 2023 because we have been flexible when it comes to catching other species.
Our value added processing, sales and distribution segment have been through a rough period. In 2023 factory capacity utilization is improving and the markets show better balance. We expect continued improvement in this segment, in line with our goals.
Better fish health and welfare
We are extremely pleased that our major investments in new aquaculture technology are already having a
substantial impact. We have experienced some issues with respect to fish health and welfare, and we see that the introduction of new technology and improved fish stocks is helping to solve some of the major issues in our aquaculture segment. So far, the results are promising.
Digital transformation
We are in the midst of a major transformation – both as a company and the world around us. We are working well towards our digital transformation. We still have a long way to go, but this is an important priority and we are working systematically to achieve our goals.
We are working in a structured and targeted way to resolve our challenges and create the world’s most efficient and sustainable value chain for seafood.
Thanks
I must emphasise that I am very proud of Lerøy and of all our employees who work tirelessly to supply the world with sustainable, high-quality seafood. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all our customers, business partners and all those who are making our operations more sustainable and supporting our future improvements.
Systematic efforts to maintain fish health
Lerøy is working systematically throughout the supply chain to optimise fish health and welfare.
The objective of broodfish production is to produce fish that is as robust as possible and grows well. Good growth results in a shorter period at sea, thereby reducing the potential for lice infestations and decreasing the number of treatments needed. Improved resistance to disease reduces mortality and improves fish welfare.
We are working closely with our supplier of genetically selected and carefully vetted salmon roe. Our technological solutions provide good protection and optimal growing conditions.
Intensive research
In the freshwater phase Lerøy is working to provide the juvenile fish with the most favourable conditions for their subsequent life at sea. By means of a continuous research programme, we investigate the fish’s biological qualities, apply available knowledge and identify improvement opportunities. Based on the knowledge we gain, we propose and implement operational adjustments. Before the fish are transferred to the sea, they are also vaccinated. This is vital for the fish’s health and welfare.
In the seawater phase we are implementing a major technology programme. Lerøy has made substantial investments in submersible and semi-enclosed solutions. You can read more about this on the next page.
Camera surveillance monitoring and artificial intelligence (AI) are used to monitor the salmon and count the lice on individual fish. This enables us to implement healthimprovement measures at a very early stage.
Training and documentation
Our Fish Health Portal is used to digitalise how we log fish health in order to document and improve fish health and welfare. Our employees receive systematic training in fish welfare through hands-on practice and an eLearning course.
Lerøy and fish health
• Systematic efforts in all phases of production
• Extensive research programme
• Substantial investments in environmental technology
• Digital surveillance and documentation
• Extensive training in fish health for all employees
Lerøy has a team of more than 20 employees who are qualified fish health biologists or veterinarians. We work actively to ensure that the fish always have what they need for a good life and good health.
Veterinarian Ingeborg Sørensen at Lerøy Midt
Promising results with new technology
Lerøy’s investments in new, sustainable fish farm technology are showing promising results.
Lerøy is using a series of cages that shield the fish from salmon lice. We use cages that can be lowered beneath the depth at which the lice thrive, as well as semienclosed cages.
Lerøy aims to ensure sustainable aquaculture operations and will continue to test and implement similar technologies going forward. Our objective is for 30 per cent of our salmon to be raised in submersible or semienclosed cages by the end of 2024. The new technology will help provide better living conditions for the fish.
Minimise the amount of delousing treatments
The aim of this endeavour is to ensure the best possible fish health, welfare and quality. We started to adopt the new technology in the summer of 2023. The results so far are promising, with lice infestation rates so low that the need for treatments has been minimal.
Fish that do not need to be deloused, experience less stress, have a better appetite and are more robust.
Positive impact
This technology is being rolled out initially in Central and Western Norway, where lice numbers are highest.
Lerøy has invested heavily in new cage technology. We expect these investments to have a positive impact on fish welfare and quality, production volume and profitability.
Lerøy’s technology programme
• Testing of multiple technologies to optimise the fish’s living conditions
• 30 per cent of the salmon to be physically shielded from lice by 2025
• High return on investment expected
• Positive ripple effects
Ingvild is in charge of ten factories
Ingvild Dahlen from Asker, near Oslo, has made a career for herself in Northern Norway.
The 42-year-old is one of Lerøy’s 6 000 employees who have risen through the ranks. The southerner who has become a northerner is a production manager in charge of ten Lerøy Norway Seafoods factories.
The factories are spread along the coast of Northern Norway and produce a wide range of seafood products, from clipfish to king crab, in addition to filleting, processing and packaging.
Investment in Northern Norway
Ingvild is based in Båtsfjord in the county of Finnmark, a nice place where people are passionate about every aspect of the local community.
– Here, Lerøy is a cornerstone business. All of our approximately 100 employees are devoted to their workplace and what we produce.
The company is investing heavily in Northern Norway and has spent more than NOK 200 million on improvements in the Båtsfjord factory. In 2024, Lerøy also plans to invest NOK 150 million in Kjøllefjord, which also includes king crab production. This creates confidence in the future at a time when many local communities are struggling with a steady decline in their populations.
Maximising resource utilisation
Ingvild is particularly keen to boost profitability by making use of 100 per cent of the fish.
– Everything used to revolve around the fillet of the fish. Now we use the entire fish for high-value food and other products. This type of resource utilisation means that our operations are increasingly sustainable.
Did you know that …
Lerøy buys seafood from the local fishing fleet during the coastal fishing season and from the ocean-going trawler fleet for the rest of the year.
Our own trawler fleet is crucial for maintaining year-round activity at our processing plants.
In order for Lerøy to fulfil its duty of activity on shore, we depend on trawler quotas that provide a sufficient quantity of raw material to keep the processing plants operating.
Ingvild Dahlen
Safe food from the sea
Food safety is Lerøy’s top priority.
Lerøy’s many factories supply safe products to our customers 365 days a year. We produce all kinds of seafood, from salmon and trout to whitefish and shellfish.
Lerøy controls the entire value chain. We catch wild fish and produce farmed fish, we process and pack fish at our factories and distribute millions of seafood meals to more than 80 countries worldwide.
Complete traceability
All of Lerøy’s products are completely traceable throughout the process. We track their journey from the very origin, through the production process and out to the customer – each step of the way.
Our factories have strict standards with regard to cleaning, hygiene and maintenance. We have good control systems that enable us to monitor all parts of the production process, as well as extensive testing and analysis programmes that confirm the products are safe to eat.
Third-party audits
All our seafood production is regularly audited by DNV, as an independent third party. DNV makes pre-scheduled and unannounced inspections to verify that we are maintaining high standards for quality, food safety and sustainability.
Lerøy and food safety
• Extremely high standards of hygiene
• Factories are cleaned and disinfected daily
• Extensive testing/analysis programme
• Analysis of the products’ shelf-life
• Complete traceability at all stages
• Audits by independent third party
Effective efforts to combat climate change
Several independent assessments have shown that Lerøy is one of the best in terms of sustainability.
Lerøy came in second place in the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index, which assesses 60 of the largest listed global meat, dairy and aquaculture companies on ten ESG factors. This is a result of long-term and systematic efforts on the part of the entire group.
Best in Norway
Last year, Lerøy was named a climate winner by the business consultancy PwC for the second year in succession.
The PwC Climate Index assesses the climate impact of Norway’s 100 largest companies. It shows that Lerøy is one of the nine Norwegian companies that are reducing their greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.
In 2023, Lerøy was graded A- for its work on climate-related issues by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).
Many initiatives
Lerøy takes its responsibility for mitigating climate change extremely seriously and is constantly striving to reduce the carbon footprint of all its operations at all levels.
A good example is the Lerøy Sjøtroll Kjærleva production site in Sunnhordland. The investment significantly reduces the use of water, and the site has one of the largest solar panel installations on the Western coast of Norway, producing electricity for operations.
Lerøy aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 46 per cent by 2030, compared to the 2019 level. The overall goal is to become the leading global supplier of sustainable, high-quality seafood.
About the assessments
• The Coller FAIRR score is based on how companies measure their ESG risk, as well as their guidelines and performance.
• The PwC Climate Index assesses companies’ climate accounting and whether they can demonstrate that they have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 7 per cent or more in the past year.
• The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) awards companies a score between A and D, based on their environmental management best practice regarding transparency, awareness and risk.
Lerøy’s food production in
Share of sites with GLOBALG.A.P./ASC certification for aquaculture in 2021, 2022 and 2023
Amount of antibiotics used at fish farms 2021, 2022 and 2023 (kg of active ingredients)
Share of deforestationfree soya from Brazil
Traceability of soya in feed
One of our fish farms in Sør-Varanger contains enough fish to provide everyone in the whole of Finnmark a salmon dinner every day for an entire year.
A fish farm would be able to feed the inhabitants of London, Paris, Madrid, Rome and Berlin with a single meal.
Antibiotics used in sea 2021, 2022 and 2023
(kg active substance)
When one of our trawlers arrives at the dock fully loaded, there is enough food on board to invite all the inhabitants of Norway’s ten largest cities for dinner.
and 2023
Our activity nationwide
Lerøy has a wide range of business activities in Norway. These encompass the farming of salmon and trout, harvesting wild fish, primary and secondary processing, product development, and the marketing, sale and distribution of seafood.
• In-house activity and suppliers
• Suppliers
Lerøy has 3 900 employees in Norway, working in more than 60 municipalities
In 2023, Lerøy paid NOK 2.1 billion in direct and indirect taxes in Norway
We purchase goods and services from 5 400 different suppliers, registered in approximately 250 municipalities
Lerøy purchased goods and services worth approximately NOK 20 billion in Norway in 2023
Innovative and sustainable
– The world’s need for food is increasing day by day. Therefore it is important to think outside the box and maximise the utilisation of our raw materials.
The statement comes from Astrid Fadnes Brattebø, production manager at Lerøy’s new processed foods factory in Stamsund, Lofoten.
Major changes
The 30-year-old Norwegian is originally from Voss. After completing her engineering studies in Bergen, she joined Lerøy as a trainee. Since then, her career has progressed quickly. In 2020, she was given the opportunity to move to Stamsund and work with continuous improvement as part of the Lerøy Way.
– The plan was to stay here a year, but I kept getting new and exciting projects, says Astrid, who has taken part in the site’s wide-ranging transformation process. What had once been a fillet factory with a long history, was remodelled at a cost of almost NOK 300 million to produce ready-to-eat fish products.
First-class food
– That’s a lot of money, but we are already seeing that the investment is bearing fruit. Every day we produce around 50 000 meals; fish cakes, fish burgers, fish balls and, not least, Lerøy’s signature fish gratin. Lerøy has a lot of filleting factories along the coast. Once the actual fillet has been cut away, there is still a lot of usable raw material. This is sent to Stamsund and converted into first-class food products.
Astrid is proud of the 80 employees for the way they have embraced the changes.
– We have a great team! Everyone works really hard to ensure our products are of the highest quality.
NOK 300 million has been invested in the processed foods factory, and every day we make around 50 000 seafood meals.
Astrid Fadnes Brattebø
Attracting, developing and retaining employees at Lerøy
Our 6 000 employees are our most important resource. Lerøy strives to offer an inclusive and engaging working environment in a forward-looking enterprise. We aim to attract, retain and develop our highly proficient employees. The combination of new recruits, bringing new knowledge, and our existing experienced and skilled employees are crucial for Lerøy’s future development and success.
As a world-leading seafood company, Lerøy offers a wide range of career opportunities within our different value chains. We are proud to have plenty to offer new graduates and young people. This includes apprenticeships, trainee programmes, internships, work placements and summer jobs. Lerøy has launched its own trainee programme and also partners with NCE Seafood Innovation Cluster and Arena Nord Troms. Within the Group, the trawler company Lerøy Havfisk has the largest number of apprentices. In 2023, it had 50 apprentices and offered 40 work placements. This is an important arena for the recruitment of fishers.
Number of employees 2023 2 333 3 680 6 013
Lerøy supports and facilitates both formal and informal learning arenas. Through initiatives such as leadership programmes, trainee programmes, apprenticeships/trade certifications, internal mobility and eLearning courses, we provide our employees with training and development opportunities. We have also increased our range of language courses, which is particularly important for a multicultural working environment comprising over 20 nationalities in Norway.
For the second year in succession, Lerøy was named the seafood industry’s most attractive employer in a poll of more than 1 400 students at various universities and colleges in Norway.
Employees covered by collective bargaining agreement, own
My time as an apprentice and cadet with Lerøy Havfisk has been invaluable, and I am very pleased to have secured a permanent job within the company.
Kai Nilsen
The ripple effect of Lerøy’s operations is considerable
Impact on employment
3 900 direct employees in Norway 6 200 indirectly related jobs
10 100 jobs in total (direct and indirect)
7.3
billion in direct value creation
Impact on value creation (NOK)
7.2
billion in indirect value creation
14.5 billion in overall value creation
Impact on direct and indirect taxes (NOK)
2.1 billion Lerøy paid 0.6 billion in direct taxes and 0.7 billion in indirect taxes, while employee income tax withholdings totalled 0.8 billion.
RESPONSIBLE Creative.
Norwegian seafood pioneer since 1899