Regional market
Africa
Volume protein and a long-standing stockfish trade. Payment security and freight cost, not quality grade, decide the deal.
Two distinct trades run in parallel. West Africa imports frozen pelagics — mackerel and herring — as affordable protein in container volume, where the landed cost per tonne is the entire commercial argument. Separately, Nigeria has bought Norwegian stockfish for generations, in grades and cuts that no other market wants, at prices that reflect genuine scarcity. Neither trade rewards a supplier who treats the continent as one market.
Most requested species
Atlantic mackerel
Scomber scombrus
The autumn fishery delivers the highest fat content of the year. Graded strictly by weight for the Japanese and Korean trade.
- Season now
- Peak season
- Origin
- Wild-caught
- Condition
- Frozen
- Forms
- WR · FLT · FLAP
Atlantic herring
Clupea harengus
Norwegian spring-spawning herring in industrial volume. Fillets, flaps and marinade raw material for European and Eastern European processing.
- Season now
- Available
- Origin
- Wild-caught
- Condition
- Frozen · Salted · Smoked
- Forms
- WR · FLT · FLAP
Stockfish
Gadus morhua
Cod air-dried on Lofoten racks from February. Graded by hand into more than twenty commercial classes.
- Season now
- Peak season
- Origin
- Wild-caught
- Condition
- Dried
- Forms
- WR · SPLT
Saltfish and klippfisk
Gadus morhua / Pollachius virens
Wet-salted and dried cod and saithe for the Portuguese, Brazilian and Caribbean trade. Sold on salt content, whiteness and cut.
- Season now
- Available
- Origin
- Wild-caught
- Condition
- Salted · Dried
- Forms
- FLT · SPLT
Saithe
Pollachius virens
Abundant, well-managed and priced well below cod. The volume workhorse for processing, saltfish and food service.
- Season now
- Peak season
- Origin
- Wild-caught
- Condition
- Fresh, chilled · Frozen · Salted
- Forms
- HG · FLT · LOIN · PORT · SPLT
Preferred product forms
- Frozen whole round pelagics in bulk cartons
- Stockfish heads and lower grades for Nigeria
- Salted saithe at volume price points
Certificate and document requirements
- Health certificate and certificate of origin
- Pre-shipment inspection where the destination requires it
- Import permit held by the buyer before shipment
Transport modes
- Reefer container, 15–25 days to West African ports
- Dry container for stockfish and other ambient products
Typical door-to-door transit as quoted by forwarders, counted from collection at the plant to delivery at the buyer’s address, including export handling and import clearance under normal conditions. Customs holds, inspection sampling and missed connections are not included. Last reviewed 15 September 2026.
- Packing and sizes
- Robust bulk cartons or bales. Packaging that fails in humid ports is the most common avoidable loss.
- Key ports
- Ålesund · Tema · Lagos · Abidjan · Douala
- Buyer categories
- Importers and wholesale distributors
- Established stockfish trading families
- Payment risk
- The highest of any region we serve. Advance payment or a confirmed letter of credit from a first-class bank is the default, and we do not recommend open account.
- Seasonal opportunity
- Pelagic buying follows the Norwegian autumn fishery. Stockfish demand into Nigeria peaks ahead of the December festive season.
- Working languages
- English · Français · Português
- Time zone
- GMT / WAT