Bakkafrost Scotland output falls for second year in a row

Salmon farmer Bakkafrost Scotland harvested 23,900 gutted weight tonnes of fish in 2022, Faroese parent company Bakkafrost said in a trading update yesterday.

The volume is more than 19% lower than the 29,672 gwt harvested in 2021, which was itself a 15% fall on the 34,986 gwt harvested in 2020.

Bakkafrost Scotland (formerly the Scottish Salmon Company) is one of three listed salmon farmers that warned of reduced volumes following mortalities caused by micro jellyfish in the second half of 2022.

Mowi Scotland and Bakkafrost Scotland each lowered annual harvest guidance by 10,000 gwt, and Scottish Sea Farms by 8,000 gwt.

Fourth in Scotland

Bakkafrost Scotland was the country’s fourth-largest salmon producer last year, behind Mowi Scotland, Scottish Sea Farms, and Cooke Aquaculture Scotland, which doesn't disclose figures but is believed to have harvested north of 27,000 gwt.

Bakkafrost harvested 19,300 gwt in the Faroes in the fourth quarter of 2022, and 5,100 gwt in Scotland.

The company’s total harvest for 2022 in the Faroe Islands was 66,700 gwt. The total harvest from the Bakkafrost Group in 2022 was 90,600 gwt.

Feed sales by Bakkafrost’s Havsbrún subsidiary in Q4 2022 were 32,600 tonnes. Havsbrún sourced 46,100 tonnes of raw materials in the quarter. The total feed sales for 2022 were 127,800 tonnes and in total 297,800 tonnes of raw material were sourced in 2022.

Bakkafrost’s full Q4 2022 report will be released on 21 February.