Fisheries and Aquaculture
The seafood industry is one of Norway's most vital and rapidly expanding sectors. In 2022, it set another export record, exporting over NOK 150 billion worth of fish – equivalent to more than 40 million daily meals. This growth is propelled by an increasing focus on, and recognition of, the need for healthy and sustainable food. This shift has also spurred rapid technological advancements and professionalisation within the industry.
The Wiersholm seafood team consists of highly skilled lawyers, each with a personal interest in the seafood industry. We provide market-leading legal expertise, efficient project management, and advisory services in relevant business law areas, all with a keen focus on delivering value to our clients. The seafood team is a part of Wiersholm Ocean, an integrated cross-practice group that covers all legal areas pertinent to the ocean-based industry, including shipping, offshore, seafood, M&A, and marine insurance.
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Our services for the seafood industry include
Over the years, Wiersholm has consolidated its position as a leading law firm in M&A in Norway and the Nordic region, assisting in numerous seafood transactions. Our M&A team consists of more than 80 lawyers and we have a high number of partners in order to ensure the highest quality and assistance. Our M&A lawyers have provided assistance in complex and high-profile transactions in the seafood industry, in Norway as well as internationally. A large proportion of these transactions involve foreign players.
We assist issuers, facilitators and other companies across the seafood industry, and use our specialist process and know-how to find sound commercial solutions that are adapted to our clients' needs. We have assisted in numerous listings, issuances, and transactions for seafood companies. Our lawyers are among Norway's pre-eminent experts on capital market transactions and securities law advice and advises across all capital market and stock exchange regulations. Four of our capital market partners appear on the top 10-list of Finansavisen's 2023 lawyer survey – more than any other firm.
Commercial contracts are the lifeblood of all industries, including the seafood industry, and come in all sorts of variants and variations. Fundamentally, commercial contracts are about predictability and clarity regarding the parties' obligations and rights, risk distribution between the parties when the settlement does not go according to plan, and the effects of a party not fulfilling its obligations. Our lawyers are among the country's leading experts in contract law and have extensive experience in drafting and advising on contract types relevant to the seafood industry, such as construction contracts, development agreements, and other commercial agreements. We assist in all phases, from drafting, negotiation, and contract conclusion, to follow-up and ongoing advice along the way - and with dispute resolution when necessary. Regardless of the content of the assignment, we always combine high professional quality with a practical and commercial approach to the client's needs.
Wiersholm's dispute resolution department is among the largest in the Nordic region, assisting both national and international clients. Our team consists of over 70 staff members, of which 18 lawyers have the right to appear before the Supreme Court, and several have experience from the European Court of Human Rights and the EFTA Court. We assist local, national, and international clients in the seafood industry in both large, principled, and international disputes and practical, contract-regulated disputes. We represent a powerful combination of subject matter and procedural competence, ensuring the best possible result in each individual case.
