The battle for top spot in the farmed sea bass production league rages on between Greece and Turkey. With the Mediterranean’s highest production rate, Greece increased volume to 50,000 metric tons (MT) in 2012, a figure they’re forecast to replicate in 2013, according to data compiled by the Global Aquaculture Alliance and Kontali seafood trade analysts. Second-largest producer Turkey, with 45,500 MT in 2012, is expected to marginally decrease volume while Spain’s 9,500 MT total in 2012 is set for a minor increase.
As far as Greece’s Nireus Aquaculture is concerned, global demand for farmed sea bass is proving resilient, supported by global macroeconomic trends.
“On the demand side, our Group focus on global markets, since we export 90 percent of the fish we produce,” said Maria Kotsovou, Nireus’ marketing and investor relations manager. “We highlight the growing population; rising middle classes in emerging countries; the aging population in the developed world where there’s higher seafood consumption; increasing consumer health consciousness has shifted demand from other sources (beef, pork, poultry) to fish; and increasing environmental awareness is shifting demand from capture to culture.”
As with all farmed fish, supply is a key determinant to price with sea bass prices having negative correlation with volume growth and a weaker link with GDP growth, essentially, lower production volumes lead to better pricing. Specifically citing Mercamadrid’s year-on-year price and volume evolution (not total supply volumes) of EUR 5.84 (USD 7.61) per kilogram in November 2011 on a volume of production rate of 90,000 kilograms against EUR 5.67 (USD 7.39) in November 2012 based on 153,283 kilogram volume, price peaked at EUR 7.17 (USD 9.34) in 2012. “Although we can’t be certain of exact price movements, we believe average pricing will remain at satisfactory levels,” Kotsovou claimed.
In 2012, having overcome the challenge of time-consuming bureaucracy related to sea bass farm rental applications, Turkey’s 12 hatcheries participated in coordinated projects gaining insights into the country’s wild European sea bass population in the Aegean Sea and Mediterranean coast in order to improve selective breeding.
Turkey’s Sagun Group is reportedly aiming to inject growth in the country’s sea bass sector following its first harvest last August, projecting combined sea bass and sea bream production of 14,000 MT by 2014. Prices were unavailable at press time.
Turkey is seeking innovative solutions in processing technology and techniques for creating added-value sea bass products and services, with the INTRANEMMA sustainability project at its core.
Spain has a higher quality-price ratio for 300- to 400-kg sea bass compared to highly priced wild sea bass over 2 kg each. December is the peak period, representing 12 percent of annual sales (farmed and wild), with wild captures increasing to feed holiday demand.
After reaching EUR 7 (USD 9.03) per kg mid-2012, Spain’s Marine Aquaculture Producers Business Association saw the wholesale fresh sea bass price for weights below 600 grams peter out, ending the year at EUR 5.75 (USD 7.42) in Mercamadrid, EUR 5.90 (USD 7.61) in Mercabarna and peaking at EUR 7.20 (USD 9.29) in Mercabilbao.
A public-private sector investment of EUR 11.8 million (USD 15.2 million) in Andalucía-based CUPIMAR will see intensive sea bass, sea bream and sole cultivation in the region.
