Lerøy posts 45% hike in Q1 harvest volumes

The total was 38,200 tonnes, almost 12,000 tonnes higher than the corresponding figure of 26,400 tonnes for 2024.

These figures exclude harvest volumes from Scottish Sea Farms, in which the company owns a half share. They should become available when the full Q1 report is published next month.

The harvest volumes by region for the January to March period (Q1 2024 figures in brackets are Lerøy Aurora 7,100 tonnes (6,000 tonnes); Lerøy Midt:16,400 tonnes (13,700 tonnes); Lerøy Sjøtroll: 14,800 tonnes of which 9,500 tonnes was trout (6,700 tonnes of which 3,300 tonnes was trout).

Whitefish catches continue to be affected by big cuts in cod and haddock quotas. The figure for the first quarter are 19,000 tonnes of which 3,600 tonnes was cod compared with 24,100 tonnes  of which 6,700 tonnes was cod in Q1 2024.

Apart from the deep sea fishing section, the results reflect a continuing improvement in Lerøy’s performance following a difficult period more than a year ago.

Some two years ago, the company launched a comprehensive plan for operational improvements, which the company says its employees have worked hard to implement.

CEO Henning Beltestad reported a few weeks ago that it was gratifying to see that the improvements, which also included Scottish Sea Farms, were now gradually reflected in results and this trend seems to be continuing into this year.

The complete Q1 2025 report will be released on 15 May.

For more Salmon industry stories see the Salmon Sector Focus section on this website.