August 23, 2013
Norway's salmon feed sales rise significantly
Norway's salmon feed sales havebegan to pick upsignificantly after a few summer weeks of weak performance.
Feed sales were up 12% in the past four weeks, compared to the same time last year, according tofigures from the Norwegian Seafood Federation which has data up to week 32.
Some 170,236 tonnes of salmon feed were sold in weeks 29-32, compared to 152,151 tonnes in the same time in 2012. The figures go up to 187,010 tonnes when including trout feed, still ahead of last year.
Farmers need every ounce of fat to feedtheir fish before the high season in the final quarter of the year. While it costs US$1.47 in feed to increase a salmon's size by one kilogramme, this extra kilogramme, converted to fresh salmon, can then be sold for US$6.55 - US$8.19 per kilogramme in the export market.
A significant reason for the increase in Norwegian fish feed sale lies in the more favourable sea temperatures at the moment, compared to the same time last year.
As per week 33, the sea was 0.6 degrees Celsius warmer than the same time in 2012.