High salmon mortality and declining fish quality are particularly affecting fish farming in Norway and Chile. The data from the Rabobank report were published on July 16 by The Fish website.
“We expected growth to start in late 2023 or early 2024, but the period of falling production continued. For the first time in 2022, there was a problem with winter canker, which led to a drop in production in Norway. We attributed the decline to the excellent performance in 2021 and expected a return to growth in 2023, but there was no growth.”“explained Gorzhan Nikolik, a senior seafood analyst at the bank.
“We were then expecting growth in the first and second quarters of 2024 of 7-8% annually. The forecast did not live up to expectations. The turning point is only now occurring and only very slowly.”he added. Nikolik explained that the industry is caught in a vicious circle: increased use of mechanical sea lice removal during the warm months damages salmon’s mucous membranes, making them more susceptible to winter ulcers when coastal waters are cold.
“Typically, 90% of salmon is of high quality and only 5% is of low commercial quality. In recent quarters, there have been weeks when industrial fish accounted for up to 35% of the fish.”. – the expert pointed out.
The price of premium salmon has risen significantly to 130 Norwegian kroner (1.05 thousand rubles) per kg. However, the average price received by fish farmers is much lower due to the high proportion of commercial quality fish.
“We are now seeing a recovery, but from a low point. The proportion of commercial quality salmon has now returned to almost normal levels. Supply is recovering and prices have now corrected below 2022 and 2023 levels.”explains Nikolik.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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