Norwegian salmon prices flat but sales plunge

Norwegian salmon prices remained relatively flat this week, but export volumes plummeted.

According to the Nasdaq Salmon Index, the weighted average index of weekly sales prices of fresh Atlantic superior salmon, head-on gutted – reported by Norwegian salmon exporters and salmon producers – increased to NOK 111.69 (USD 10.69, EUR 9.73) per kilogram in the eighteenth week of 2023.

That represents a price increase of 1.45 percent, or NOK 1.60 (USD 0.15, EUR 0.14), from the NOK 110.08 (USD 10.53, EUR 9.59) price reported last week. Last week's price represented a 10 percent drop the week prior, and prices on average are still up more than 20 percent compared to 12 weeks ago.

Despite the relatively flat prices, export volumes dropped precipitously week-over-week. Fish Pool reported the total volume of head-on gutted Norwegian salmon exported in the eighteenth week of 2023 dropped 20 percent, or 3,456 metric tons (MT), to compared to the previous week, reaching 13,735 MT.

However, despite the drop, the overall export volume for the last five weeks has increased 4 percent, or 3,066 MT, on a year-over-year basis.

Photo courtesy of Matveev Aleksandr/Shutterstock