On a late Wednesday afternoon last month, when half of Norway was on its way to its cabins for a public holiday, the country's four largest listed salmon companies Leroy Seafood Group, Grieg Seafood, SalMar and Mowi sent out similar messages to say a settlement had been reached with American salmon buyers in a case of alleged illegal price collusion.

"This is the first sign of movement in the case, which also includes investigations by the European Commission in the EU and similar lawsuits in Europe; criminal cases with company fees and potential personal punishment in the US; lawsuits in Canada and probably also several lawsuits in the US," Norwegian lawyer Odd Stemsrud told IntraFish.