Plenty of small fish are offered.
“There doesn’t seem to be much of a difference. It’s much the same,” says a trader about next week’s salmon price.
It is the smaller fish that are beuing traded heavily.
“We do not know how much ISA harvest there will be. Lots of small fish showing up. 3-4 are at NOK 68-70 ($6.46-$6.65/€5.92-€6.09). And then there is a krone more on each size. It varies quite a lot from the breeder and in the market,” he adds.
Weakened
“3-4 kg NOK 68 ($6.46/€5.92), 4-5 kg NOK 69 ($6.55/€6.00), 5-6 kg NOK 71 ($6.74/€6.18) and 6+ NOK 72 ($6.84/€6.26). As of now,” writes an exporter in an SMS to SalmonBusiness.
“Prices weakened this week,” says another buyer.
All industry sources report a subdued buying appetite. For the fifth week in a row, the average price ends in the 70s.
“The market is a little down. We are down to NOK 70, 72, 74 ($6.65, $6.84, $7.03/€6.09, €6.26, €6.43). It’s slack. Quite simply,” says a breeder.
“There has been a good volume in recent weeks. But lousy prices. Of course, people talk about the slaughterhouses going down, but it’s the same whining every year. I think the ISA manages more than holiday management,” he says further.
More in Spot
“We are struggling to reach contracts. It is difficult to break through, in the US market, at prices that are a dollar higher per kilo. There will probably not be as many contracts made, so it gives more fish in the spot market,” he notes.
No major movements are expected, neither up nor down at first. Fish Pool’s forward prices, based on contracts and orders, are NOK 80.85 ($7.68/€7.04) for August and NOK 78.85 ($7.49/€6.86) for September.
SalmonBusiness gathers spot prices for salmon every Friday after lunch, tracking fish to be delivered the following week. This process involves contacting multiple entities in the value chain, including farmers, exporters, and importers. At least five independent sources are consulted, though they may not always be publicly disclosed.
