Scottish officials are not the only ones speaking with the US authorities over a potential ban on imports of salmon from fish farms that shoot seals -- Norway is too, Roy Angelvik, secretary of state at the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, told IntraFish.

All countries exporting seafood to the United States could be affected by sanctions if they haven't implemented measures to correspond with equivalent US regulations, he said -- and not just farmed salmon.

"This includes fishing," Angelvik said. "Norwegian authorities have actively followed the developments in this case from the outset. We will do everything we can to mitigate possible effects on Norwegian exports of seafood to the United States."

US standards for fish farming prohibit the culling of marine mammals such as seals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

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The proposed regulation will come into force in 2022. A five-year transition period would be granted to adapt to those rules, Angelvik said.

Within this transition period, Norway will be in dialogue with US fisheries authorities in order to understand "what is needed to ensure that no import ban is imposed on Norwegian salmon and other fishery products."

Angelvik said only "a very small number" of seals are killed every year at fish farms.