With a total biomass estimated at 635,000 metric tons (MT), there was five percent more Norwegian farmed salmon in the water in April, according to new figures released by trade body Sjomat Norway (Seafood Norway).
While the latest volume was higher than a year previously, it fell 19,000 MT short of the volume reported in March.
In March, the salmon biomass was up four percent year-on-year and February’s year-on-year growth was three percent.
Meanwhile, with only a modest increase in supply, salmon prices have remained high this year. During week 19, the average price of fresh salmon was NOK 75.40 (USD 9.08, EUR 7.87) per kilogram, which was seven percent more than the average price paid in the same week of 2017.
For the first four months of 2018, the average price of fresh salmon from Norway was NOK 64.02 (USD 7.71, EUR 6.68) per kilogram, which was down two percent year-on-year, but 12 percent higher than for the same period of 2016. Similarly, the average price for frozen salmon so far this year has been NOK 55.39 (USD 6.67, EUR 5.78) per kilogram, representing a decrease of 18 percent compared with 2017, but up eight percent on 2016.
Analysts believe fresh prices will continue to hover at high levels of NOK 75.60 (USD 9.10, EUR 7.89) and NOK 64 (USD 7.71, EUR 6.78) per kilogram in June and July respectively.
Norway is forecast to harvest 1.3 million MT of salmon in 2018, an increase of 100,000 MT compared with last year.
