Overview of Moscow's freshfrozen fish market as per second week of September 2010
Market players speak about a slight shift of pink salmon prices. First hand sellers have been palpating the market being cautious to reduce the price. In fact, the shipment price of gutted, head-on pink salmon of RUR85.00 per kilo in Vladivostok turns out to be at least RUR95.00 per kilo in Moscow and other regions while the wholesale price exceed RUR100.00 per kilo, sales being very reluctant. Many traders note that some processors have delisted smoked pink salmon from their assortment lists. The market has been anticipating the price drop and most of the wholesales have been sure it to happen shortly. Processors think the optimal price of gutted, head-on pink salmon in Moscow of RUR75.00 per kilo will revive the market and the consumption will grow, but for the moment they speak about the decrease of prices in Vladivostok to RUR80.00 per kilo.
Market players speak about mixed trends on the mackerel market situation. Russian mackerel has been appreciating while the Norwegian mackerel whose major market destination is Russia has been depreciating.
APO fishery has been in progress with the weekly catches amounting to more than 25.000 tonnes. The catches of Atlanto-Scandian herring amounted to more than 12,000 tonnes; of saury - 9,600 tonnes.
The saury fishing operations in the Russian Far East have been positive and should the situation keep, the prices of saury may decrease significantly. Last year the situation on the saury fishery turned out to be very poor and the canners compensated the results by the importation from Japan, though the prices of canned seafood hit the records. In the current year the producers promise much lower prices. At present the retail price of canned saury produced by RPK Yuzhno-Morskoy amounts to ca.RUR26.00 per jar while it was the average purchasing price from producer last year.
High prices of Blue whiting have stayed despite 13,141 tonnes of the imported fish in the first half of the year 2010, which is 8 times more from the same period of the year 2009. Traders attribute this to the lack of salmon species on the market and the switch of consumers to cheaper fish species like blue whiting.
As of 1 January 2010 the total catch of aquatic biological resources by the Russian vessels amounted to 2,843,300 tonnes that is 196,400 tonnes more from the same period last year. The TACs have been covered at 69%, up 7.4% in comparison with the same period last year.
Atlantic salmon/trout
The prices of fresh Norwegian salmon have continued to fall. Namely, the price decrease to NOK37.00 per kilo as per the week 37, 2010. The same trend can be observed in Russia with prices decreasing by approximately RUR5.00 per kilo.
According to some Moscow-based processor, in the week 37 2010 the purchasing price of Atlantic salmon raw materials has varied from RUR270.00 per kilo of the size 4-5 and from RUR275.00 per kilo of the size 5-6 to more than RUR300.00 per kilo of the size 7-8.
Frozen Norwegian salmon 4-5 has been offered on the Russian market at RUR295.00 per kilo; the size 5-6 has been marketed at RUR305.00 per kilo; the size 6-7 has been sold at RUR320.00 per kilo; size 7-8 at RUR325.00 per kilo and the sizes 8-9 and 9+ at RUR325-335.00 per kilo.
The prices of the frozen Chilean trout have been relatively stable. The Chilean trout of the Premium quality has been marketed at RUR245.00 per kilo for the size 0.9-1.8, at RUR255.00-265.00 per kilo of the size 1.8-2.7 and at RUR 285.00-290.00 per kilo of the size 2.7-4.0.
Pink and chum salmon
The situation on the Pacific salmon market can be characterized as dead-end as per the 37 week, 2010. According to traders, some processors have completely delisted the pink salmon value-added products from their assortment. The retail price of the pink salmon balyk of cold curing amounts to RUR265.00 per kilo making the sales of the product weak. The wholesale price of freshfrozen gutted, head-on pink salmon amounts to ca. RUR110.00 per kilo and the sellers do not risk to sell it. In this situation, some direct producers have been nervous beginning to reduce the prices gradually. In Moscow the price has started to fall slightly as well.
At present, gutted, head-on pink salmon of the season 2010 has been marketed from RUR97.00-110.00 per kilo, while the same fish gutted, head-off has been offered from RUR120.00 - 130.00 per kilo.
The prices of chum salmon head-on, gutted of the season 2010 in Moscow fish market amount to ca.RUR110.00 per kilo, while gutted, head-off chum salmon has been sold at RUR115.00 per kilo.
Caviar
The market of deli products has been characterized by growing trends. The prices of Pacific salmon species caviar have been rising. The average salmon caviar supply price amounts to about RUR1400.00-1450.00 per kilo. Some wholesalers have temporary halted the sales of caviar waiting for the situation on the market to become clearer.
The slightly salted pink salmon caviar in cubotainers has been offered at RUR1400.00 per kilo. The same category of chum salmon caviar has been varied to RUR1500.00 per kilo.
Herring
The herring fishery has been progressing well. Russian fishing vessels harvested 12,200 tonnes of herring in the week 37, 2010. The share of Kaliningad-based vessels in the total harvest amounted to 26%, the rest volume was harvested by the vessels of Murmansk-led North Fisheries Basin. According to the preliminary figures, since the beginning of the year Russian fishermen harvested 82,900 tonnes of herring and the quota remainder was 58.8%.
As per 13, September, 2010 Norway harvested 508,000 tonnes of herring the quota take-up amounted to 57%, while the total quota has been 894,600 tonnes.
The Russia-produced herring market has been characterized by positive price trends. The price of Norwegian herring has not been marked by clear dynamics yet, though some reduction of prices of butterfly fillets can be observed. The processors speak about the growth of consumers' demand for value-added herring.
In Murmansk the herring poorly graded herring classified as large and fat 200-300 has been offered from RUR25.00, ex-coldstore, the same herring 300+ has been marketed at RUR32.00 per kilo.
In St. Petersburg Russia-produced herring 200-300 has been sold at ca. RUR22.50-23.00 per kilo; herring 300+ at about RUR31.00 per kilo.
In St. Petersburg the Norwegian herring 300+ has been marketed from RUR31.00 per kilo; the herring of the size 350+ at RUR36.50 per kilo, the herring of the size 400+ from RUR57.00 per kilo.
In St. Petersburg the Icelandic herring 300+ has been offered from RUR29.00 per kilo.
In St. Petersburg the Norwegian herring butterfly fillet 5-8 has been marketed from RUR50.00 per kilo while the size 6-10 has been sold from RUR46.00 per kilo.
In Moscow the herring fillets of the Russian origin have been offered at RUR41.00 per kilo of the size 6-10.
Mackerel
The mackerel market has been characterized by mixed trends as per the mid-September 2010. The market players speak about gradual price growth of Russia-produced mackerel while the price of Norwegian mackerel has slid due to rise of supplies onto the Russian market.
As per 13, September 2010 the Norwegian fleet harvested 88,000 tonnes. The total quota of 180,400 tonnes has been covered at 49%.
Headless mackerel of FOR production in St. Petersburg 200-300 has been offered at RUR51.00 per kilo, the size 300+ has been marketed at RUR82.00 per kilo.
Whole round Russian mackerel in Murmansk 300 has been offered at RUR40.00 per kilo, the herring 300-500 at RUR52.00 per kilo.
Icelandic headless mackerel 200-400 frozen at sea in St. Petersburg has been offered at about 53.00 - 54.00 per kilo, the size 250+ at RUR55.00-56.00, the size 300+ at RUR81.00-82.00 per kilo.
Norwegian mackerel 300-500 has been offered in St. Petersburg at RUR54.00 per kilo, the size 400-600 at RUR 84-85.00 per kilo, the size 600+ at RUR140.00 per kilo.
Baltic sprat/Baltic herring
As per the mid-September the prices of Baltic sprat have been stable. In St. Petersburg the Baltic sprat 10-12 from Estonia has been offered from RUR20.00 per kilo, ex-coldstore.
As per the mid-September 2010 the prices of Baltic herring have been stable as well.
In St. Petersburg the Baltic herring 12-15 from Finland has been offered from RUR22.00 per kilo, the Baltic herring 15-17 has been sold at 27.00 per kilo.
Russian Baltic herring 16+ has been offered in St. Petersburg at RUR25.00 per kilo.
Capelin
The inventories of capelin on the market have been not large and the prices of imported capelin have risen slightly. The prices of Norwegian capelin have grown by RUR1.00 -2.00 per kilo.
In St. Petersburg the capelin of the size 25-35 from Norway has been offered at RUR30.00 per kilo, the size 30-40 has been sold at RUR27.00 per kilo, the size 35-45 at RUR25.00 per kilo, the size 40-50 at RUR24.00 per kilo.
Blue whiting
As per the mid-September 2010 the pressure of the high prices on the blue whiting market has stayed. The lowest price of the majority of traders amounts to about RUR31.00 per kilo.
The demand for blue whiting has been quite good thanks to, mainly, seasonal preferences.
In St. Petersburg the blue whiting 25+ from Ireland has been marketed at RUR31.00 per kilo.
In Murmansk blue whiting has been offered from RUR31.00 per kilo.
FOR -produced blue whiting in St. Petersburg has been sold at RUR32.00 per kilo.
Alaska pollock
Since the beginning of the year 2010 Russian fleet harvested 1,279.5 tonnes of Alaska pollock, up 31% or 304,200 tonnes from the previous year level. Despite the supplies of Alaska pollock on the Russian seafood market have stayed on the last year level the Russian Pollock Association plans to increase the volumes of supplies including fillet, headless and whole round pollock on the domestic market.
Due to stagnation on the Russian market of Pacific salmon species the sales of Alaska pollock have been in good progress. The prices of headless APO have been gradually coming up and the additional volume on the market will slightly affect the price and fill the shortage gap of cheap pink salmon on the market.
As per the mid-September 2010 the prices of headless APO frozen at sea in Moscow amount to: from RUR50.00 per kilo for the size 25+, from RUR51.00 per kilo for the size 30+ and from RUR52.00 per kilo for the size 35+.
In Moscow the Chinese skinned pollock fillet IQF 6-8 has been offered from RUR61.00 per kilo, ex-coldstore, from RUR63.00 per kilo of the size 8+ subject to large wholesale lots.
Russian skin-on pollock IQF fillets with glazing content 5-7% has been marketed from RUR100.00 per kilo while the skinned fillet from RUR115.00 per kilo. Block frozen skinned fillet from large Russian producers has been offered at about RUR95.00 per kilo.
Hake
The prices of hake have been stable as per 37 week, 2010. Supplies of HGT hake as well as fillets from the North and South Americas have been in enough quantities.
US hake has been marketed ex-coldstore in Saint Petersburg at RUR77.00 per kilo of interleaved H&G product 200-400 and at RUR78.00 per kilo of H&G hake 300-500. Canadian H&G hake 300-500 IQF has been sold at RUR83.00 per kilo, while interleaved product has been sold at RUR77.00 per kilo.
In Saint Petersburg H&G hake from Uruguay has been traded at RUR73.00 per kilo of the size 80-150, RUR76.00 per kilo of the size 150-250, meat in discs and cubes has been offered at RUR60.00-70.00 per kilo.
In Saint Petersburg H&G hake from Argentina has been marketed at RUR80.00 per kilo of the size 200-400, at RUR84.00 per kilo of the size 300-600, hake fillets have been sold at RUR119.00 per kilo of the size 100-250 and RUR138.00 per kilo of 200+.
Interleaved H&G hake from Spain has been sold in Moscow at RUR83.00 per kilo of the size 200-300 and at RUR88.00 per kilo of the size 300+.
In Moscow skin-on hake fillets of the Chinese origin 6-8 and 8+ have been offered from RUR70.00 per kilo.
Squid
As per the mid-September the prices of squid in the Russian Far East have been stably rising. The demand is good with the shortage of supply observed, though the squid fishery has now been in active phase.
More than 4,000 tonnes of squid have been harvested during the week 37, 2010.
The Illex squid fishing operations in Argentina have resulted this year in poorer volumes in comparison with the year 2009. As per 10 September 47,000 tonnes of squid have been landed in Argentinean ports, 29% down in comparison with the same period of the year 2009 when the catch amounted to 66,000 tonnes.
The prices of squid from the Russian Far East vary from RUR90.00 to RUR95.00 per kilo. The average price on prepayment basis amounts to ca.RUR85.00 per kilo.
In Saint Petersburg cleaned squid tubes of the Chinese origin have been sold at RUR120.00-125.00 per kilo of the count U10 and RUR125.00-127.00 per kilo of the count U5.
Giant squid fillets from Peru have been offered at RUR51.00 per kilo.
Tilapia
As per mid-September 2010, the situation on the market of tilapia has remained stably rising. Among other reasons, the increase of prices can be attributed to the rise of shortage of tilapia products about which the Chinese producers warned in summer 2010. It is reported, that the production volume will fall by 20% this year while the products of the new crop will enter the market only in October.
Large importers have been selling tilapia fillets 3-5 ounces from RUR115.00 per kilo, while prices ex-coldstore have been reported at RUR120.00 per kilo for the size 5-7 ounces.
The average price level of most of wholesalers amounts to ca.RUR120.00 per kilo of fillets 3-5 ounces and RUR125.00 per kilo of fillets 5-7 ounces.
Pangasius
The situation on pangasius market has been quieter. The prices are stable in general or slightly higher. The offers of white meat pangasius have appeared on the market with various content of glazing.
In Moscow and Saint Petersburg large importers have been offering pangasius from RUR74.00 -75.00 per kilo on the average.
The average level of prices of large wholesalers amount to ca.RUR77.00 per kilo.
Pangasius fillets in cubes have been sold from RUR56.00 per kilo.
Importers have been selling white meat fillets of 5% glazing at about RUR108.00 per kilo, while the fillet with 20% glazing has been marketed at about 82.00 per kilo.
Cod
As per the mid-September 2010 Russian fishermen harvested 214,800 tonnes of cod, up 29,000 tonnes from the year 2009.
Both the prices for Pacific and Atlantic cod have remained stable or decreased. The supply is good.
Prices for headed and gutted Atlantic cod IQF in Murmansk in July amount to RUR83.00-85.00 per kilo of the size 0.5-1 and 1+.
Skinned cod fillets IQF made in Murmansk have been offered in Saint Petersburg from RUR120.00 per kilo.
Pacific cod headed block frozen 1.5+ and 2+ has been offered at RUR70.00-74.00 per kilo in Moscow.