Overview of freshfrozen fish market of Saint Petersburg and other regions as per mid-November 2007

During the period under review there have been certain new developments on the market of St. Petersburg, Russia's main entry port for seafood, trading sources told http://www.fishnet-russia.com/ (https://www.fishnet.ru/).

Below follow more details on particular species with average prices given as ex-coldstore VAT inclusive for quantities of between 1-10 metric tons unless specified otherwise.

Freshfrozen herring

As per mid November 2007 Saint-Petersburg traders offered Norwegian herring from the new catch from RUB24.50-25.00 per kilo of the size 300+.

Prices for the size 350+ were decreasing from RUB34.00 per kilo in late October to RUB29.50 per kilo as per 5 November 2007.

Closer to the middle of the month the fishery of large herring in Norway was on the wane and the prices of the product stabilized and then started to increase gradually.

As per 14 November 2007 the size 350+ was offered from RUB32.00 to RUB33.00 per kilo and in the short-term outlook the traders forecasted a price growth.

The size 400+ was offered from RUB38.00 to RUB39.00 per kilo with the supply being fairly low.

In the short-term outlook the fishermen were planning to harvest small herring 300+ and 200-300 to be landed in Norway for filleting, therefore in the coming weeks the traders were expecting an increase of the herring fillets supply and the prices of the product was expected to go down.

In mid-November the Russian herring 200-300 (poorly graded product classified as large and fat) was offered from RUB19.50 in Saint Petersburg.

The Russian herring 300+ was offered from RUB27.00 per kilo.

Mackerel

Freshfrozen mackerel from Scotland was available from RUB58.00 per kilo of the size 400-600 and from RUB95.00 for the size 600+.

In the meantime, Norwegian mackerel 400-600 was offered from RUB62.00 per kilo in Saint Petersburg.

Baltic herring, Baltic sprat

Prices for Estonian and Latvian sprat settled at RUB17.00-17.50 per kilo.

The market supply was low with the lack of fish described as fairly large. At the same time, the traders did not expect prices to rise.

Finnish herring was sold from RUB17.80 per kilo of the size 12-15 cm and from RUB21.00 per kilo of the size 15-17 cm.

The supply of small Baltic herring was also poor as the fish of fairly high quality was harvested only in Finland and it was purchased by the Russian canneries and processors.

Blue whiting, polar cod Boreogadus saida

In November the blue whiting fishery was poor with the fish offered from RUB25.00 to RUB28.00 per kilo.

The fishery of polar cod Boreogadus saida took off and as per mid-November it was quite brisk. Prices for the product started from RUB16.50 per kilo, considerably up on prices in the same period of last year.

Besides, the demand for polar cod considerably increased because the prices for blue whiting were greatly overstated.

Capelin

Norwegian capelin 40/50 was offered from RUB28.00 per kilo in Saint Petersburg, while the same product 45/55 harvested in February-March 2007 was marketed from RUB27.00 per kilo.

Hake

In Canada the fleets kept on harvesting hake and in Saint Petersburg HGT hake 300-500 was offered from RUB60.00 per kilo as per 14 November 2007.

Pink salmon

Pink salmon from the new catch was offered from RUB50.00 per kilo both in Saint Petersburg and in Moscow.

Wholesale prices ex-coldstore in Vladivostok, dateline 14 November 2007

Wholesale prices ex-coldstore in Saint Petersburg, dateline 14 November 2007

Wholesale prices ex-coldstore in Moscow, dateline 14 November 2007