Posts by Vince McDonagh
Norway continues record seafood export run
Norwegian salmon exports continued their record run last month, totalling NOK 11.6bn (£828m) – an increase of 6% by value on September last year.
The volume, at 141,600 tonnes, represents a rise of 9%.
It was also a strong quarter (July to September) for salmon, which now accounts for 70% of all seafood sold, with 372,442 tonnes sold at a value of NOK 31.8bn (almost £2.3 bn).
Read MoreOslo pleads for ‘salmon queen’ jail transfer
Oslo is asking for the Chinese government to transfer Yimin Dong, the woman jailed for salmon smuggling two years ago, to a Norwegian jail.
The family’s plea was sent to the Norwegian government, which has decided to ask the Chinese authorities for Dong to be moved to Norway to serve out her sentence.
The issue is also thought to have been raised when the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre visited China on a seafood mission a couple of weeks ago.
Read MoreBakkafrost announces higher Q3 harvests for Faroes and Scotland
Faroese fish farmer Bakkafrost today reported a significantly higher third quarter harvest, with its Scotland arm showing a marked improvement.
The Faroe Islands produced 21,600 tonnes, a rise of 4,800 tonnes on the same period 12 months ago.
The harvest in Bakkafrost Scotland, which is now recovering from various biological issues, totalled 5,400 tonnes against 4,100 tonnes in Q3 2023. All harvest volumes are provided in head-on gutted (HOG) equivalents.
Read MoreBetter news for Atlantic Sapphire as Q3 harvest jumps
Florida-based salmon farmer Atlantic Sapphire has reported a much brighter picture for production during the third quarter of this year.
The company processed 1,300 tonnes against 365 tonnes during the July to September period 12 months ago when temperature-related challenges resulted in slower growth.
Read MoreSalmon Evolution on course for strong 2024 harvest
Norwegian fish farmer Salmon Evolution is moving decisively toward a full year harvest target close to 5,000 tonnes, according to the company’s latest market update.
Read MoreSalmon exporters face chaos as strike shuts US ports
Norwegian, Icelandic and Faroese salmon companies were facing a serious export challenge today as US east coast ports were shut down by a huge strike.
Dockers at ports between Maine and the Gulf of Mexico walked out last night in a dispute over pay.
These ports are regularly used by Nordic exports to get their fish, mainly salmon and cod and haddock, into the US.
Read MoreNorwegian fish farms batten down as new storm approaches
Fish farms in northern Norway have begun to prepare for the worst after forecasts of heavy storms in the area over the next couple of days.
Already, severe weather has caused severe disruption to the salmon sector twice this year, leading to temporary price distortions and orders failing to get through.
Read MoreSalmon escape fears in Northern Ireland
Around 5,000 salmon are feared to have escaped from a fish farm in Northern Ireland, regional reports suggest.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs is carrying out an investigation into the incident.
The alarm was raised after a tear in a salmon cage at a site in Glenarm, County Antrim, at the weekend. Glenarm Organic Salmon is Northern Ireland’s only salmon farm, but the company has so far declined to comment.
Read MoreIceland salmon exports take off
The export value of Icelandic farmed fish has reached more than £150m (ISK 27.3 billion) during the first seven months of 2024, according to the latest official figures.
Statistics Iceland said most of this was due to higher salmon sales. Iceland’s salmon exports between January and July this year totalled ISK 22.4bn (almost £124m), 28% higher than in the same period in 2023.
Read MoreCelebrations as Proximar sells its first Mount Fuji salmon
Proximar Seafood has sold the first salmon from its Mount Fuji facility straight into the Japanese market. This milestone for the company also marks the first harvest in Japan of domestically produced farmed salmon.
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