Moscow's freshfrozen seafood market in mid-June 2009

As per the second week of June 2009 trade in freshfrozen seafood in Moscow has shown mixed price trends, analysts of www.fishnet-russia.com (www.fishnet.ru) concluded after analyzing the current situation on the market.

Russia's total harvest through the first five months of the year amounted to 1,495,300 tonnes, 100,400 tonnes up on 2008. The take-up of the TAC amounts to 37.7%, 7.2% up on the same period last year.

In the course of the salmon season 2009 which started on 25 May 2009 in the southwest of Sakhalin the fishermen reported the first catches of pink salmon. The salmon season was started by the fishermen from Imeni Lenina fishing co-op and Zarya Poseidona company who set the seines in the Kholmsky District. In the end of the first week of June the fishermen harvested 4900 tonnes of pink salmon. The total harvest in the Southwest Sakhalin for the whole season has been recommended at more than 1900 tonnes.

The overall pink salmon harvest is forecasted at more than 283,100 tonnes, nearly 34% up on the TAC 2008. At the same time, in the eastern coast of Kamchatka, mostly in the Karaginsk subarea, the catch is forecasted to jump nearly eight times as compared to the TAC 2008 and to reach 100,000 tonnes. In the eastern coast of Sakhalin the harvest may also approach the 100,000 tonne level, to display a rise of nearly 20% on the TAC 2008. In the waters of the South Kuriles the rise may exceed 10% if the harvest reaches ca.45,500 tonnes, and in the north of the Okhotsk coast the pink salmon catch may reach 20,000 tonnes through the season, which is 16 times up on the TAC 2008.

In case of strong runs of pink salmon in the East Kamchatka, East Sakhalin, South Kuriles and in the northwest part of the Okhotsk coast the catch during the current season may reach the actual result of the year 2007 giving record high results for a number of recent years.

Foreign sources say that the world production of farmed salmon in 2009 is forecasted to decrease by 7-12%. This will happen due to the unprecedented fall of production in Chile by 67%. Foreign experts think that salmon prices will remain strong.

The market participants in Murmansk speak about leveling out of the prices for bottomfish species, in particular for cod and haddock, on the Russian and foreign markets. In this situation there is a bias for export product sales as on the international market the customers usually pay right away.

Among other important events of the week, on the second week of June 2009 Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Rosselkhoznadzor has released lists of Spanish seafood companies approved for export to Russia after 10 June 2009, Faroese companies approved for export from 15 June 2009 and Portuguese processors approved for export from 1 July 2009. Besides, the Service has signed a memo concerning conditions for seafood shipments from Cyprus to Russia. The Russian vets have also released a new veterinary certificate for seafood exported from Vietnam.

In general, as per the second week of June 2009 the market has been showing mixed price trends for finfish and non-finfish products. In particular, the market has displayed stabilization processes for farmed Norwegian salmon and trout. After a dramatic rise of prices for Norwegian salmon, the prices on the Russian market have jumped by 20%. The prices for large-sized mackerel, pollock and small-size herring and tilapia fillets continue falling. An important event of the week under analysis is a decrease of prices for Vietnamese pangasius fillets from the average indications of RUR82.00 to RUR75.00 per kilo.