Frøya, Norway-headquartered SalMar harvested 40,000 metric tons (MT) of head-on gutted (HOG) salmon in the first quarter of 2020, with increased volumes coming from its Norwegian farms, according to its latest trading update.
The contribution from the company’s operations in the north of Norway amounted to 13,600 MT, down from 15,100 MT in Q1 2020, while its farms in central Norway supplied 22,200 MT, up from 18,200 MT.
Its Icelandic subsidiary, Arnarlax, harvested 4,300 MT. However, as previously reported, Bíldudalur-based Arnarlax lost around 500 MT of salmon in February to a strong storm that hit Iceland’s west coast.
SalMar’s full report for Q1 2020 will be released on 19 May.
The company has previously forecast a salmon harvest of 152,000 MT from its Norwegian operations this year. This is expected to comprise103,000 MT from central Norway and 49,000 MT from northern Norway. It has also projected 12,0000 MT from Iceland, while Norskott Havbruk (Scottish Seafarms) is expected to harvest 26,000 MT.
SalMar advised last month that a dividend will not be paid for 2019. It said this was “due to the uncertainty that now prevails regarding the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the consequences it may have for the entire value chain and a number of local communities along the coast.”
