Sustainable plaice stocks, effective sole management and increasing supply of megrim are positive indicators for southern Europe’s flat and whitefish sectors, despite variable consumption and price patterns.
In its Finfish Study 2012, the Brussels-based EU Fish Processors and Traders Association recorded plaice volumes up around 2 percent, but assured the catch could be higher in line with the EU’s 10 percent quota increase for this year.
Backing these findings, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recorded a notable increase in plaice stocks not seen in Western Channel waters since 2004. The European Commission predicts plaice landings will increase in coming years as its discard-reduction policy takes effect. ICES found that Spain accounted for 54 percent of Europe’s plaice, sole, cod and hake landings in 2011.
This year, ICES will start a five-year assessment of sole stocks, having counted abundant sole and no significant changes in stock dynamics in the Western Channel.
Under the EU’s multi-annual plans, 230,000 metric tons (MT) of plaice and 35,000 MT of sole can be caught by European vessels operating in the North Sea where stock levels have been maintained satisfactorily, enabling both species to be fished at maximum sustainable yield throughout 2013. Plaice stocks in this region are “currently at the highest level on record,” according to the EU.
Spain and Portugal are each allocated 66 MT of the European Council’s 395 TAC of plaice in southwestern waters and eastern-central Atlantic during 2013, while this year’s entire 1,072 MT quota for sole (Solea spp.) in Bay of Biscay south, west and offshore, south-western waters and eastern central Atlantic is allocated to Spain (403 MT) and Portugal (669 MT).
Spanish households bought 973,420 kilograms of fresh sole and 25,230 kilograms of frozen sole from fishmongers in June 2012 (latest data) at an average EUR 7.89 (USD 10.58) and EUR 7.43 (USD 9.96) per kilogram (kg), respectively, according to the country’s fisheries ministry. While this represented a volume increase of fresh sole over the previous month’s 882,950 kg, it accompanied a price reduction from EUR 9.30 (USD 12.47). Conversely, while frozen sole volume had fallen from the previous month’s 51,670 kg, the average price had also fallen from EUR 9.47 (USD 12.70) per kg.
According to Docapesca — mainland Portugal’s first point of fish sale and marketing — at the start of fourth quarter 2012, Portugal’s monthly whitefish volume stood at 243 MT valued at EUR 556,000 (USD 745,860), down from a high of 291 MT in Q3 valued at EUR 693,000 (USD 930,000).
The European market for megrim — an alternative to Dover and lemon sole — has picked up with British cooks reporting the species “increasingly turning up on the fishmonger’s counter” during the last two years. ICES notes sustainable megrim harvesting while the EC allocated Spain 7,672 MT of the 25,639 MT TAC for 2013.
Over in Italy, Rome’s principle fish market prices ranged from EUR 6.04 (USD 8.10) per kg for small sole sourced from the middle Adriatic to EUR 22.81 (USD 31) per kg for locally sourced product, representing 4.78 percent and 5.85 percent respective increases on the previous week in February this year.
The EU TAC for flounder and its lemon sole relation, dab, remain the same this year as last at 18,434 MT, where flounder prices ranged from EUR 7.90 (USD 10.60) to EUR 10.90 (USD 14.62) per kg in Venice’s Ittico Market.
Supply of Greenland halibut by southern European fisheries will be nominal in 2013 (Portugal around 20 MT, Spain 8 MT) under the new EU-Greenland fisheries partnership agreement operational through 2015, allowing the region to catch 7,215 MT of both Greenland and Atlantic halibut over the period.
