By Liang Fei

Norwegian salmon exports to the Chinese mainland since the beginning of this year have dropped by 56 percent year on year, according to statistics from the Norwegian Seafood Export Council.

Norway has exported 8,158 tons of salmon to the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong so far this year, representing a 9 percent drop in volume compared with last year.

Ashild Nakken, an official with the Norwegian Seafood Export Council, told the Global Times that the drop is partly due to new rules concerning salmon exports to China.

In February 20, a tighter inspection and approval mechanism was implemented for all salmon imports to China. Under the new regime, importers of salmon require a permit issued by the General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Since December last year, Norwegian salmon has been subjected to additional inspections, resulting in salmon from the country being quarantined for up to 14 days until tests were conducted.

The new rule went into effect two months after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

Lin Guijun, a professor specializing in international trade with the University of International Business and Economics, said that trade issues should not be linked with political issues, and that there was no evidence to show that the two matters were related.

Wang Xiuquan, import and export manager with Baichuan Industrial Ltd, a Qingdao-based seafood producer, believes that the main reasons for the export drop are price increases and a shortage of salmon.

Wang said that salmon supplies had been tight since the 2007 earthquake in Chile, another major salmon exporter.

Media reports said that Norwegian seafood exporters have been hit hard by the new rules.

"We cannot get fish in there at all," said Henning Beltestad, the CEO of Norway's Leroey Seafood Group, cited by a Bloomberg report on May 6.

Norwegian seafood exporters are complaining that their salmon is going bad while they wait for permission.

"This is absolutely a challenge to Norwegian seafood exporters, and we hope that the situation will be clarified very soon," said Nakken.

Norway aims to increase sales of the fish to the mainland and Hong Kong to 30,000 tons in 2012, according to a report by the Norwegian Seafood Export Council released last year.