Bakkafrost harvested 20,800 gwt in Q3
Scotland volume down by almost half year on year
Faroese salmon farmer Bakkafrost harvested 20,800 gutted weight tonnes of fish in the third quarter of this year, it said in a trading update today.
The harvest volume is 3,200 gwt lower than in the same period last year, primarily due to a lower tonnage of 4,100 gwt in Scotland. That volume is just over half of the 8,100 gwt that Bakkafrost harvested in Scotland in Q3 2022.
Bakkafrost harvested 16,700 gwt in the Faroes in Q3, 200 fewer gutted weight tonnes than in Q3 last year. The Faroes operation harvested 12,000 gwt in the north of the archipelago, 2,000 gwt in the west, and 2,800 gwt in the south. Harvest volumes are generally rounded up for convenience and can sometimes add up to more than the total given.
Target lowered
In Scotland, Bakkafrost harvested 2,900 gwt in its northern region, and 1,200 gwt in the south.
In August, Bakkafrost Scotland reduced its harvest guidance for 2023 from 30,000 gwt to between 24,000 and 25,000 gwt because of biological problems. The third quarter has become a difficult period for Scottish salmon farmers in recent years, with warmer-than-average sea temperatures presenting increased environmental challenges including micro jellyfish blooms.
Feed sales by Bakkafrost’s feed subsidiary, Havsbrún, were 35,900 tonnes in Q3 2023. Havsbrún sourced 109,700 tonnes of raw materials in the quarter.
Bakkafrost’s full Q3 2023 report will be released on November 7.
