Bergen, Norway-headquartered salmon farming group Grieg Seafood ASA harvested approximately 20,500 metric tons (MT) of fish in the third quarter of this year, which was about 700 MT less than in the corresponding period of 2020 and 200 MT below its previous harvest guidance for the three-month period.
The reported Q3 2021 harvest doesn’t, however, include volumes from Grieg’s Shetland operations, which are being sold, and which contributed 6,785 MT to the company’s total harvest in the third quarter of last year.
According to the group’s latest trading update, its Norwegian farm sites of Rogaland and Finnmark harvested 6,300 MT and 9,900 MT respectively, compared with 5,039 MT and 2,730 MT a year previously.
Its farms in British Columbia, Canada, produced 4,300 MT in the quarter, down from 6,648 MT in the corresponding period of last year.
The average farming cost for its BC farms in the three-month period was CAD 8.50 (USD 6.89, EUR 5.93) per kilogram. For Rogaland and Finnmark these were NOK 46.50 (USD 5.53, EUR 4.75) and NOK 45.50 (USD 5.41, EUR 4.66) per kilo, respectively.
Grieg’s complete Q3 2021 report will be released on 3 November.
Grieg harvested a total 71,142 MT of salmon in 2020. Its production target for this year is 80,000 MT, with the longer-term aim to reach 130,000 MT by 2025.
Earlier this month, Grieg joined the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), an international initiative that is seeking to develop a risk-management and financial-disclosure framework on nature-related risks. TNFD’s main aim is to support a shift in global financial flows toward nature-positive outcomes. Its finalized framework is earmarked for release in late 2023.
“As sea farmers, healthy oceans are at the heart of our operations. As such, understanding and addressing nature-related risks is important for us. Responsible aquaculture has the potential to reduce the ecological footprint caused by global food production, but we may also be the cause of impacts if we do not get it right,” Grieg Seafood CEO Andreas Kvame said. “Grieg Seafood recognizes these challenges and we work continuously to reduce our footprint and improve animal welfare throughout our business. We look forward to working with global financial institutions and corporations to develop a framework that will help ocean businesses like us mitigate risks and grasp opportunities in this area.”
Photo courtesy of Grieg Seafood
