Analysis & Reports
W50: Weekly Seafood Update
Crab
Russia: Russian Crab Producers Increased Supplies to China, South Korea and Japan (Dec 15)
Russian crab producers were able to redirect exports to China, South Korea, and Japan after the US market closed. This is stated in the message of the Association of Shipowners of the Fishing Fleet (ASRF). According to the association, the supply of crab from Russia to the United States for the first nine months of 2022 decreased by 11.6K MT, to 10.4K MT. At the same time, deliveries to China during this period increased by 1.9K MT, up to 12.8K MT, to South Korea by 3.6K MT, up to 12.8K MT, to Japan by 2.1K MT, up to 9.2K MT. In addition to the traditional ones, promising export directions are also developing in the countries of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore) and the Middle East, the association added.
Salmon
UK: New USD 154,120 Fund Launched to Help Save Scotland’s Wild Salmon (Dec13)
Scottish salmon farmers have launched a new fund to help the country’s wild salmon through habitat protection, restocking programs, and protection from predators. The wild fisheries fund opens for applications on February 1, 2023, and closes on March 31, 2023, and will prioritize applications that aim to protect and enhance wild salmonid populations and local angling opportunities. Applications are welcomed from local angling clubs and associations; District Salmon Fishery Boards and Fishery Trusts; voluntary or community groups; charities; social enterprises; community interest companies; and not-for-profit organizations. The wild fisheries fund replaces and builds on the work of the wild salmonid fund, which since 2021 has invested more than USD 201,960 (GBP 190K). It will be coordinated by fishery manager Jon Gibb, a fisheries trust manager based in Fort William, who has championed a constructive relationship between the farm-raised salmon sector and fisheries and angling groups.
Canada: Feds Launch Licence Buyback Plan to Scale Down British Columbia’s Salmon Fishing Fleet (Dec 15)
Ottawa has launched its awaited fisheries license buyback program to protect plummeting Pacific salmon stocks on the West Coast. Looking to fix the problem of too many boats chasing too few fish, on December 15, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) unveiled details on its voluntary commercial license retirement (LRP) program that will pay salmon harvesters to exit the industry. However, the union for commercial fishers says first impressions suggest the plan is “deeply disappointing” and designed to drive down the value of licenses being bought out.
Chile: High Sales of Chilean Salmon in EMEA in W50 (Dec13)
December is a stable month for the Portuguese and Spanish markets in terms of purchases of Chilean Salmon. Sales of Chilean salmon to Iberia have been steady, and it is forecasted to continue until early January 2023. In W50, the Israeli market (at the EMEA level) is the main market for big salmon producers in Chile, increasing purchases and buying mostly premium quality salmon.
Chile: Live Biomass of Chilean Salmon Farming Presented an Increase of 5.5% YoY in 2022 (Dec 13)
During W50, the Chilean fisheries and aquaculture authority (Sernapesca) released that as of June 2022, the live biomass of farmed salmon distributed in the different farming sites at the seawater was 496,068MT, an increase of 5.5% compared to December 2021.
Chile: An Increase of Salmon Theft During W50 Could Impact Prices (Dec15)
In Chile, due to the high prices of salmon, thefts have increased both in farms and trucks during W50. For this reason, logistics companies are looking for new technologies to prevent theft. On the other hand, this risk pushes providers to prefer ExWork over CFR, which could have an impact on the price.
In the first 11 months of 2022, 17,187MT of Turkish Salmon were exported from the Black Sea region of Turkey, representing an income of USD 125,858,348. Compared to the same period of the previous year, the volume increased by 124%, and the value went up by 207%. Out of the total Turkish Salmon export income, USD 102,851,077 came from the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. Turkish Salmon was sold to 11 countries like Russia, Vietnam, Japan, China, and more. Turkish Salmon was sold to Russia for USD 86,896,177, Vietnam for USD 21,626,031, and Japan for USD 5,688,583. The recognition of Turkish Salmon in foreign markets is gradually increasing. It is predicted that Turkish salmon exports will increase further in the future.
Shrimp
US: Shrimp Imports Continue to Fall (Dec 12)
US importers imported 69,767MT of shrimp, valued at USD 633.99M, down from 85,478MT, valued at USD 808.2M in October 2021, according to the latest released seafood trade data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This marked the third consecutive month of cuts. The U.S. is now approaching the end of the year with shrimp imports down 2% from 2021, although overall sales appear to pick up slightly. The US imported 715,711MT of shrimp worth USD 6.7B between January and October, compared with 729,667MT worth USD 6.4B imported in the first ten months of 2021, according to NOAA.
Spain: The Cut of the EU to the Fishing Fleet and the Sector Sinks
Cuts to Mediterranean fishing by the European Union (EU) come to light and, with them, the Almeria fleet, made up of just over 40 trawling vessels, 'sinks'. The Council of Fisheries Ministers ended around 8:00 a.m. on December 13 and, with its conclusion. A disastrous outcome for the fishing sector in these waters, which will have to reduce the days of work by 7% and by 5 % of the total allowable catch (TAC) for the red shrimp, not so for the Atlantic, for which reason the Spanish minister, Luis Planas, values the overall result of this appointment as good, although it must be specified that, for the second year consecutive, Spain has voted against the initiatives that the Mediterranean fleet will have to face by 2023 and announces compensatory measures, "to soften this measure that, from the point of view of sustainability, is inadequate."
Thai shrimp production in 2012 hit only 280K MT, due to the aftermath of disease outbreaks in every region. While exports were valued at USD 1.12B(THB 39B), growing by 5%, aiming for a challenging target in 2023, increasing production to 300K MT, and supporting export processing. Calling on political parties to set policies to revive the shrimp industry, and reclaim lost opportunities in the last 10 years.
In Indonesia, the price reduction in the Vannamei shrimp commodity had a substantial effect. One of the biggest effects is the large number of shrimp farmers who hold the stocking of fry and temporarily stop their shrimp farming business. Shrimp farm-gate prices are currently starting to increase, but even so, this is not significant. The increase in shrimp prices was only around USD 0.064/kg (compared to prices in W48). For size 100, the current farm-gate price in W50 stood at around USD 3.40/kg, while the normal farm-gate price for size 100 is USD 3.83/kg (IDR 60K/kg). The following are the updated Farm-Gate price of Vannamei shrimps:
Size - Price (USD per kg)
40 - USD 4.31/kg
50 - USD 4.11/kg
60 - USD 3.92/kg
70 - USD 3.79/kg
80 - USD 3.66/kg
90 - USD 3.47/kg
100 - USD 3.41/kg
110 - USD 3.21/kg
Snail
Turkey: Sea Snail Exports From Turkey Brought in USD 15.5M (Dec 13)
Ahmet Hamdi Gürdoğan, Vice Chairman of the Eastern Black Sea Exporters Union, said that 1,836MT of sea snails were exported in the January-November period. He stated that USD 15,478,635 were gained from the foreign sales in question. Gürdoğan also noted that the Republic of South Korea led the way in exports to 8 countries, indicating that USD 8,316,546 of sea snails were exported to the country. Gürdoğan further said that South Korea was followed by Japan with USD 2,459,112 and Spain with USD 2,030,814. He noted that USD 9,168,115 of sea snails were exported from the Black Sea to 5 countries, especially the Republic of South Korea. Gürdoğan noted that the other countries are the People's Republic of China, Japan, Taiwan, and the USA.
Turkey: Sea Snail Stock in the Black Sea Down 20% Due to Overfishing in 2022 (Dec 15)
Sea snails (Rapana Venosa and Rapana Thomasiana), whose catch has increased due to exports to the Far East in recent years, decreased in stock by 20% in 2022 in the Black Sea. The spread of sea snails is monitored at 83 stations between Igneada and Sinop. In the study, which included Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, and Ukraine, it was determined that the sea snail stock in the Black Sea decreased by 20% in 2022 due to overfishing. The sea snails feed on crustaceans in the bottom habitat (on land and in sand mussels). Overfishing also led to a serious decrease in black mussels in the Black Sea. However, being an export product, exporting to the Far East was the mechanism that encouraged more hunting. It is an invasive species but is now settled in the Black Sea. It is an important fishing resource and therefore, there is a need to ensure that its fishing is made sustainable. This 2022 season was not a productive year in terms of product quantity with the addition of bad weather conditions but suppliers expect a better season in 2023.
Tuna
Japan: Auction Update in Toyosu Market for November 2022 (Dec 16)
The number of imports at the perishables section of Toyosu Market in November 2022 was 389 pieces, a 17.5% increase from November 2021 (331 pieces). Although wild bluefin tuna from North America, which was feared to be affected by the weaker yen, arrived unexpectedly well, farmed bluefin tuna and bigeye tuna from Mexico were sluggish. At auctions, the popularity of Canadian products changes over time. At the beginning of November 2022, when extra-large fish weighing around 200kg were the main catch, there were many leftover auctions. In the latter half of 2022, domestic products such as those from Oma, Aomori, and Toi, Hokkaido were in short supply. The average price was also high at USD 34.10/kg (JPY 4,647/kg), and all 94 pieces that arrived after the 19th were sold out at the auction. As many of the Greek products were popular sizes of around 60 kg, which are easy to handle, they performed well like the Canadian products, with a high price of USD 46.12/kg (JPY 6,300/kg) and an average price of USD 26.51/kg (JPY 3,613/kg). Farmed products continued to be sluggish with 14 pieces (In November 2021, it was 19 pieces) from Mexico. In 2021, the main factor behind the slump in shipments was losing out to the North American market, which traded at higher prices than in Japan. In 2022, the shortage of all aquaculture products is becoming more serious due to the lack of domestic aquaculture ponds that compete with it. Transactions were centered on after-hours and off-market bilateral sales, as users prioritized securing a secure supply.
