Missing Palm Springs? The 2025 National Fisheries Institute's Global Seafood Market Conference in the US state of California may be over, but Undercurrent News' new podcast, Catch the Current, is keeping the conversation going.

Listen to episode 1.5 of Catch the Current as co-hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione talk to Ode sales managers Cathrin Rabben and Tone Hellesvik about the Norwegian cod producer's exciting growth; the product's unique space in the market; what US president Donald Trump's tariff threat might mean for them; and the company's plans for the future. Listen below! 

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Don't have time to listen? Find a full transcript of season 1, episode 1.5 of Catch the Current below:

Amanda Buckle (AB): Hello seafood friends, you're listening to Catch the Current, the new podcast from Undercurrent News, your trusted source for seafood news, data and prices. I'm Amanda Buckle.

Lorin Castiglione (LC): And I'm Lorin Castiglione.

We are recording live from Palm Desert, California, at the National Fisheries Institute's Global Seafood Market Conference. And joining us on the podcast today is Cathrin Rabben and Tone Hellesvik, sales managers at Norwegian cod farmer Ode. Thanks for joining us on Catch the Current, ladies.

Cathrin Rabben (CR): Hey! 

Tone Hellesvik (TH): Thank you. Thank you for having us.

AB: So it's been a very busy few years for Ode, and 2025 is already off to an exciting start for the company. You were recently given approval for an eighth site. Is that correct, Cathrin?

CR: Yeah, it really is. We're so proud.

AB: That's unbelievable. Because when did Ode start?

CR: We started back in 2019. It's been tremendous growth. When I started at the company in 2020 we were four people. Now we're at 140. And we've grown the capacity from harvesting, of course, no fish, because we were hatching it at that point.

And then it takes three years to get to the point where we can harvest. And through that time, we've grown through the value chain from a hatchery, through the grow out, to the sea phase, and now owning our own harvest and process plant. So it's been a super exciting journey.

AB: And you've been with it from the start. So you must be really proud to see this evolution.

CR: Absolutely. I mean, it's been... it's a cliché, but it's been an adventure.

LC: And it's been a fun one to watch, because I remember when I first started, I remember we met you a few years ago in Barcelona when things were just beginning. So it's been awesome to see this grow.

Photo Credit: Ode

Now, Tone, you are not a newcomer to the seafood industry. You're recently hired at Ode. As someone with over 30 years of experience in seafood sales and marketing, what attracted you to Ode?

TH: Well, a lot of things, actually. But working in the wild seafood business is totally different. Going from the wild sector to the farm gives a whole new set of opportunities.

We have fish available all year round. It gives us an opportunity to work long-term with the partners we have. It opens new opportunities in other markets that we cannot reach with wild cod, because it's very seasonal in Norway.

This is what attracted me the most. And also the fact that Ode is a very, very exciting company. They have done so well for such a short time.

So I'm very, very happy to be part of this.

AB: Yes, definitely. And Ode has been working with US seafood consultancy firm Candor Seafood. What has the feedback been like in North America? Are you primarily focusing on retail or food service? Tell us all the deets.

CR: Foodservice and retail are both important.

What's important for us and our main focus is to find the right partners. Because right now, the harvest volume...our volume for this year is around 12,000 tons.

By 2027, we'll be around 27 -- no, 30,000 tons. Yeah. By 2027, 30,000 tons.

It's still a niche compared to the wild cod industry, meaning that we have a position or we're in the position where we can really pick our customers that have the same values as us, that share the same strategies and really sort of focus on this sustainable, high-quality, year-round available protein that cod is.

AB: So it sounds like you have to kind of educate your consumers and these companies as well, that you want to pick up your product?

CR: Yeah, absolutely.

Because I think t's a thing that we speak too little about. But the fact that the second-largest environmental crisis we have in this world, after oil and gas, is actually sustainable protein production. We need to produce more protein.

And we have to double the protein production by 2050. And if we do it by the same means that we're using today, we're also going to double the emissions, carbon emissions, right? And today, we know that this makes up around 25% of the carbon emissions, the total carbon emissions of the world. That means that if every single other company on Earth cuts their emissions to zero, and protein production doubles using the same means, we will be only halfway to net zero by 2050, solely because of protein production.

We need to speak more about that. And sustainable seafood production and farm-raised fish is crucial in that matter.

AB: Well, that's what I was going to say. Farmed cod isn't talked about a lot. I don't know if a lot of people know that cod is farmed. I mean, is that more of a popular thing in Norway?

Do you think there's a difference in consumers in the US and in Norway? Do you think that there's enough education on both fronts there?

TH: I actually think it's quite similar. Although we are farming in Norway, I think it's the same challenges that we have and the same need of education for people. Obviously the Norwegian consumer is closer to the farming, but still, we need to educate the consumer. And make them understand that this is a sustainable, healthy production.

And I mean, nothing but positivity about, yeah, the farmed cod. The perception of people is that they don't know.

CR: And also, we have to teach them that by using farming methods, we can actually expand the range of use for the cod. So you're so used to eating salmon for sushi, right?

AB: I was just about to say that. For the first time, I had raw cod.

It was cod ceviche, I think, that you served it in Barcelona. That's not how I would normally eat.

LC: It was amazing.

CR:  Exactly. It's harvested in controlled, strictly controlled environments.

And it's filleted in strictly controlled environments. But it's also raised in a way where we feed to its nutritional needs every single day, meaning that it doesn't feed on wild animals, so it doesn't get parasites.

AB: That's amazing. And again, I remember. we were shocked. We're like, 'you can just eat this raw?'

LC: Right. I know, we were very hesitant. But then, you educated us, and we are believers now.

From left to right: Catch the Current co-host Lorin Castiglione, Ode sales manager Cathrin Rabben, Ode sales manager Tone Hellesvik, and Catch the Current co-host Amanda Buckle.

AB: Salmon, scallops, okay. And then, cod. Yeah, it was fantastic.

TH: Yeah. Which is what's so great about the farmed cod, because it's not competing against the wild cod. The category is bigger. 

AB: Which is actually a good thing. That's actually something we were just kind of talking about in the last GSMC panel. Just how do we expand and reach different categories? 

LC: Working together, not against each other.

CR: We were discussing -- after seeing any retail shop in any part of the world, if you look into the protein section, especially the fresh produce, you will see that land-based protein takes up, well, like 75% of the space, while seafood in total takes maybe, well, the rest.

And if I, as a consumer, go into a shop, and I want to buy something for dinner, I don't know what I want. I want to grab something quick. But I want something new.

I want something exciting. Something that tastes great. And if my selection within land-based meats is 75%, and the seafood is 25%, why wouldn't I choose land-based? We need to move people's opinions about that.

AB: So, where do you think that starts, though? Right? That's a good question.

LC: We're trying to find that answer. Do you have it?

AB: Maybe it's a podcast. But again, I mean, this is obviously geared more towards the industry, but I think we're all in agreement that one person, all it takes is one person. I go to my children's school, and all I do is talk about fish.

They wanted a fake cookbook for the class, so I made Alaska pollock tacos. My husband asked, 'Did you have to put Alaska pollock?' Yes, I did. I wanted to educate the kids.

AB: I think it takes all of us, not just in our business lives, but outside, in our personal lives, to kind of educate. That's my view. But I was curious what yours is.

TH: I think it's very important about innovation. I mean, to really create recipes and dishes and make products for the younger generation with the cod, so that they need a choice. 

CR: I've been quoted before. You know, 'Make the cod sexy.'

Photo Credit: Ode

LC: Oh, yeah. And Ode is definitely doing that. Just visit their website, and you're all ready.

CR: But it's about, you know, sort of moving away from this white tablecloth centerpiece dish. Yes, it's a great product for that. But there's so much more. Like, you can do anything you can do with a salmon. You can also now do with a cod. And that's so important. We need to see the same innovation.

It's crucial. I think that's the key.

LC: Since we are at GSMC, we can't miss talking about a huge topic at the conference: president Donald Trump and his tariff threats.

Is Ode concerned about president Trump's policies?

AB: I'm getting some looks.

LC: And there you have it, folks.

CR: Seafood has a strong position among the American consumers. And we do hope that it will continue to grow, right? Because of everything we've talked about, it's crucial. He's a leader that cares about his people.

And he will care about people's health. He will care about sustainability. And, you know, Norway has a close partnership with the US. We have good cooperation with the US. So we have to trust that Trump will manage the United States in a good way.

AB: I like some positivity there.

LC: I was going to say, we need that.

AB: But any final thoughts? Anything else that you could tease for the upcoming year? Spill the fish oil.

CR: We are building live chilled tanks for the cod. Meaning that we're moving away from this method where you're just pumping the cod into the harvest plant. And there will be a time where it floats more naturally.

So, it's chilled. It floats into the harvest plant in a natural river. Meaning that it's, you know, it's calm.

LC: There's no stress. There's no shock from one transfer. That's great.

CR: So, it's a much calmer fish. It's a colder fish, meaning that the shelf life improves significantly. The quality and texture improves significantly. And then we put it through our value chain where we harvest it.

We can deliver it head and gutted, as we've done. Or head-on gutted. But we can now also deliver fillets... Sashimi grade from our plant in Norway.

AB: That is fantastic. That's going to be a game-changer. Yeah.

LC: That's huge.

AB: Okay. So, this is the year for Ode. 2025. This is it. Ladies, thank you so much. Visit Ode's website if you haven't already.

Check them out because they've got a really fantastic product out there. And we can't wait to see what comes next.