European Seafood Expo is over, and it’s time to wrap up its third day. It brought many valuable and interesting pieces of information and, among some other things, I’d like to highlight three key conclusions.
The first concerns delay of MSC’s certification of Russian Pollock and Salmon fishing companies. What makes this issue even more unclear is that either side seems to be interested in certification, especially in a view of Russia’s joining WTO that will happen sooner or later. I tried to contact some persons who would explain where the problem is, but didn’t succeed, unfortunately: I was twice at the MSC booth and was promised “to be contacted shortly during the show,” but unfortunately it was not the case. If you have an opinion, your comments are always welcome.?
?Two other issues are related to Wild Salmon and Alaska Pollock. Having talked with colleagues from many countries and feeling the whole market trends I can say that prices for Alaska Pollock are going to boost. It a matter of time when depletion of Alaska Pollock oversupply from U.S. producers will kick in, which will stabilize European fish market. Other reasons include rising fuel and labor costs and some minor factors.
?The same trend is for the wild salmon. In a respond to the growing demand for this delicious fish the prices will also be rising. By coincidence, this year will see a cyclic decrease of its catch, so buyers should be prepared to pay even more than they could have expected.? ?
In general, in my opinion European Seafood Expo was far more fruitful for useful observations, important news, and information for consideration compared to the Boston Seafood Show. And I simply can not but express my deep respect to excellent organization of the event, and of course, I was very happy to meet many of its participants, although I still did not manage to see every person I wanted to meet. ??
Viva las Brussels!
