Iceland farmed fish output to hit new record

SALMON output in Iceland is poised to hit a record 37,000 tonnes this year, the latest official predictions show.

Growth in aquaculture is continuing apace, with production likely to rise by between 5,000 and 7,000 tonnes over the next 12 months.

However, any increase will not match 2019, when salmon production doubled to around 30,000 tonnes.

Last summer, salmon companies released 9.3 million juveniles, the highest figure yet and up by two million on 2018, Iceland’s Food and Drug Administration is reporting.

The administration is saying that most of the increased production is concentrated in two parts of the country – the Westfjords at one end and the Eastfjords at the other, and coming from the four largest aquaculture companies.

But smaller firms are growing at a fast pace and together producing up to 5,000 tonnes a year between them.

And it is not just salmon grabbing the headlines. Production of char and rainbow trout is also rising.

Most of Iceland’s farmed fish is exported and in November, the latest month for which official figures are available, overseas sales were worth 2.9 billion króna (£18 million) and running at the rate of almost 100 million króna (£615,000) for each day of that month. Salmon accounted for ISK 2.4 billion (£14.7 million) of that figure.

While the figures are still modest  compared to rival countries such as Norway and Scotland, they show that fish farming in Iceland is growing at an impressive pace, particularly as output and exports were almost negligible less than ten years ago.

The total export figure for 2019 is expected to be around ISK 25 billion (£154 million)