The global supply of Atlantic salmon increased by 10 percent year-on-year in the third-quarter of 2017 to reach a level of around 588,300 metric tons (MT), and a similar increase is also expected in the fourth-quarter, according to Norwegian-headquartered salmon farmer SalMar’s latest quarterly trading report. Consequently, the total supply is expected to reach almost 2.3 million MT this year, some 5 percent more than in 2016.
SalMar said that following a reduction in Norway’s output in the first six months, production in the third-quarter at 315,100 MT was 4 percent higher than in the same period of last year. This trend is expected to continue, with the result that for both the fourth-quarter and 2018 as a whole, Norway’s salmon output is expected to rise by 8 to 9 percent. For 2018, this corresponds to an increase of 93,500 MT, taking the total output to 1.3 million MT.
Meanwhile, Chile’s salmon output climbed 26 percent to 141,700 MT in Q3 2017 and this strong growth rate is predicted to continue in the coming two quarters before tailing off in the second-half of 2018, states the report. In the fourth-quarter of this year, production is expected to grow by 16 percent, with the overall output from Chile for 2017 as a whole forecast to reach 552,600 MT, representing a 10 percent increase compared with last year. For 2018, Chile’s total salmon harvest is forecast at 595,900 MT, 8 percent more than 2017.
At around 43,200 MT, North America’s salmon harvest was 4 percent higher in the third-quarter of this year than Q3 2016, and the Q4 2017 harvest is expected to rise by 7 percent year-on-year to 44,300 MT. However, for the year as a whole, the volume produced is expected to decrease by 3 percent to 160,100 MT. Output in 2018 is expected to rise by 4 percent, largely driven by substantial growth in the year’s first-quarter.
Overall output in the United Kingdom is expected to increase by 17,400 MT to an estimated 174,800 MT for 2017 as a whole, while the Faroe Islands are expected to produce some 4,800 MT more than last year to reach 82,100 MT. Only marginal changes in production volume are expected in these two regions next year.
The report estimates the combined output from other producing regions will total 102,200 MT this year, up 14,900 MT or 17 percent on 2016. These other producing regions are expected to produce 110,600 MT in 2018, an increase of 8 percent on this year.
SalMar’s own Q3 2017 harvest increased by 4,400 MT year-on-year to 34,000 MT. For the year as a whole, SalMar expects to harvest around 134,000 MT of salmon, rising to 143,000 MT in 2018.
