OSLO: Norway exported herring, mackerel and other pelagic fish to a value of NOK 1.5 billion ($100 million) in October, representing a decrease of NOK 208m, or 12%, compared with October 2014. Year to date, exports of herring, mackerel and other pelagic fish from Norway totaled NOK 5.3bn; a decrease of 8% compared with the same period in 2014.
Norway has exported herring worth NOK 1.6bn so far this year, a decrease of 13% compared with the same period last year. In 2015 Norway´s mackerel exports have totaled NOK 2.9bn, a decrease of 12% compared with the same period in 2014. The Netherlands is the largest market for pelagic fish, followed by Japan and China.
“Reduced quotas have meant that export volumes have fallen, but this was partly offset by higher prices in October,” said Paul Aandahl, analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC). “Market access challenges in key pelagic markets such as China, Nigeria and Russia have in general affected exports in 2015.”
Herring exports were worth NOK 173m in October, up 39% year-on-year. Mackerel exports fell by 17% to NOK 1.3bn in October. Export volumes of mackerel have totalled 264,000 metric tons so far this year, a reduction of 14% compared with the same period last year. The largest export markets for mackerel have been Japan, the Netherlands and China.
Mackerel is sent to China for processing, and then to the consumer market in Japan. The average price of frozen whole mackerel so far this year is NOK 10.62 per kg. This is an increase of 3% on the same period last year.
In October, Norway exported 121,000t of frozen whole mackerel, a year-on-year decline of 21%. The largest volumes of frozen whole mackerel went to Japan, China and the Netherlands.
Exports of mackerel fillet stood in October at 732t, an increase of 72% compared to October 2014. So far this year, exports have increased by 86% to 5,000t. The principal export markets for mackerel fillets are Sweden, South Korea and Japan.
Frozen whole herring exports totaled 72,000t so far this year, down 37% on the same period last year. Ukraine, the Netherlands and Lithuania have been the biggest export markets during this period. The average price of frozen whole herring so far this year is NOK 8.62 per kg, up 22% from the corresponding period in 2014.
In October, exports of frozen whole herring reached 7,000t. This represents a decline of 29% from October 2014. The largest export markets by volume for frozen whole herring have been Lithuania and Kazakhstan.
Year to date exports of frozen herring fillets have totaled 53,000t, a decline of 25% compared with the same period last year. The largest markets by volume were Poland, Germany and Lithuania.
The average price of frozen herring fillet products, year-to-date, is NOK 13 per kg. This is an increase of 18% compared with the same period last year. In October, frozen herring fillet exports totaled 6,000t, down 67% compared with October 2014. The largest volumes went to Poland and Germany.
