SeaFood Business

JUL 2013

SeaFood Business is the global trusted authority for seafood buyers and sellers. We are the seafood industry's leading trade magazine with more than 30 years of experience. Our coverage is based on the "business" of buying and selling seafood.

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Market Report Sockeyes strong out of the gate Weather impacts Alaska salmon season start Prices for all salmon experiencing no downward pressure U nseasonably cold spring weather in Alaska has resulted in a slow start to the salmon season, keeping supply down and prices high. Also impacting pricing are strong prices for wild salmon from Russia, and high prices for farmed product. Te cold spring left large blocks of ice in the Copper River, keeping the fsh out at sea waiting for the ice to break up to begin their upriver migration. salmon Te ice did not delay the start of the Copper River season, but it has slowed the fow of fsh into the river, prompting state fsheries offcials to space out the openers until enough fsh had passed the sonar and been counted for escapement. Te fshing periods have been strong, with Oyster prices edge up lots of fsh being caught. Entering the second week of June, there were more than 1.5 million sockeyes landed, according to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G;). Exvessel prices, according to one fsherman, were around $4 a pound for sockeyes, with the few kings landed fetching between $5 and $7. A buyer for a national chain of seafood restaurants says he's been paying around $13 for sockeye and $19 for kings, Alaska salmon harvest, in thousands of fsh 7 Chum 54 Coho Sockeye Pink 964 1,578 King 1 Source: ADF&G;, through June 7 which is about where he expected it to be for the start of the Copper River season. "Tat's about where we thought it would be. Hopefully, we'd like to see sockeyes drop below $10. I'm not sure we'll see that until some other rivers open," the buyer says. Te slow movement of fsh into the river has not impacted his ability to get the fsh he needs. "Availability has been good for us (Continued on page 13) Ecuador demand shifts away from Europe Asian market represents almost one-quarter of shrimp exports Pacifcs supply becomes stretched in UK T he British oyster has oysters earned some bad press of late. A recent poll commissioned by the Save the Children charity reports oysters are the least-liked food in the country with 47 percent of the 2,011 adults asked saying they wouldn't eat the mollusk. Simultaneously, a prime time TV documentary reminded audiences that, according to research published by the Food Standards Agency, three-quarters of U.K.-grown oysters contain norovirus. Despite the negativity, the U.K. oyster trade continues to do well with demand and prices both ascending. Te country's production focuses on Pacifc oysters (Crassostrea gigas), which were introduced to U.K. waters by the government at the start of the last century to bridge the gap between supply and demand for the dwindling native fat oyster (Ostrea edulis). In 2011-2012, U.K. producers harvested 1,200 metric tons (MT) of Pacifcs. Typically, two-thirds of these are exported, with France the No.1 destination market. Production is expected to have fallen in the past year in line with mortalities caused (Continued on page 13) 12 SeaFood Business July 2013 A fter a decade of white spot disease, Ecuadoran exports of farmed Pacifc white shrimp were strong in 2012. Te Ecuadoran Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) noted that the industry had learned from past mistakes and had incorporated new technologies to increase yields to 2,400 pounds per hectare, which the business association notes is higher than Ecuador's main Asian competitors. Tus, the country exported some 400 million pounds of shrimp worth $1.1 billion in 2012. While the industry had also been sufering from a perceived glut in Asian production that continued to drive prices down in the frst half of 2012, increased shrimp exports compensated for that trend. In the frst quarter of this year there were signs that trend was reversing: Vannamei exports decreased 0.96 percent to 103 million pounds, compared to the same period in 2012. Rising prices boosted revenues by 18.32 percent, with an average price per pound of $2.50. CNA afrmed that "depressed supplies due to sanitary problems in Asia has had a favorable impact on prices" and also noted that Asian imports of Ecuadoran shrimp have helped compensate for more traditional markets, which continue to fag. Te shrimp farmers' trade association noted that exports to the United States were down 14 percent in the frst quarter of this year, while Europe was down 3 percent. Specifcally, Spain lost its spot as top market for Ecuadoran shrimp in Europe as consumption fell 28 percent, while France surged to the top, increasing demand by 35 percent. CNA also noted that the Asian market grew by 44 percent, representing 24 percent of shrimp exports, up from just 7 percent only two years ago, and that it expects overall volumes for the year to fulfll expectations. — Brewington & Co. Visit us online at www.seafoodbusiness.com

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