Aquaculture (terminated in Statistics Norway), 2003, preliminary figures

Sales increasing

The value of salmon sold in 2003 came to NOK 8.2 billion. This is an increase of 5.6 per cent compared with 2002, although the average price fell from NOK 16.73 in 2002 to NOK 16.11 in 2003. A total of 507 000 tonnes of salmon were sold. This is the largest quantity ever and an increase of 9.7 per cent from 2002.

For the first time since 1989 sales of trout decreased. A total of 69 000 tonnes were sold, down 17.3 per cent from 2002. The value of trout sold in 2003 came to NOK 1.2 billion, down 12.4 per cent from 2002. The average price increased from NOK 16.69 in 2002 to NOK 17.66 in 2003.

Hordaland is the salmon county number one with 94 000 tonnes of salmon. Hordaland also produced the largest quantity of trout, 17 000 tonnes.

Employment down

The employment in fish farming of salmon and trout in Norway has been stable for a long time, but since 2001 the number of employees decreased by 13.1 per cent, to 3 200 persons in 2003. The total man-hours were 4.5 million, down 9 per cent compared to 2001.

Mainly men are employed in the production of salmon and trout. The portion of female workers has been stable for many years, 13.2 per cent of all the employees were females in 2003, accounting for 8.4 per cent of all labour input. The number of female workers is larger in the production of fry and fingerlings than in the production of fish for consumption.

Loss/wastage in the production of fish for consumption

The number of salmon reported as lost/wastage amounted to 31.5 million in 2003, an increase of 9 per cent from the previous year. In proportion to the stocks this lost/wastage is of the same magnitude as the year before. About 95 per cent of these fish were counted and destroyed, while the rest either escaped or were eaten by predators.

In 2003 about 371 000 farmed salmon and trout were reported escaped, which is a significant drop from 2003. About 240 000 of these were salmon, down 50 per cent compared with the previous year. The number of escaped trout in 2003 was reported to be 130 000, down 48 per cent from 2002.

Biomass

The total biomass of fish in Norwegian fish farms decreased for the first time in many years. At the end of 2003 the stock of live salmon was 366 000 tonnes, as compared with 379 000 tonnes at the end of 2002. There were 33 000 tonnes of live trout in fish farms in 2003, a drop from 2002 by 21.4 per cent. This is the second consecutive year with lower biomass of trout.

Cod still increasing

Fish farming of other fish species still lags far behind salmon and trout. Farmed cod is the third most important species measured by quantity. 2 181 tonnes of farmed cod were sold in 2003, an increase of 75 per cent from the previous year, and of 150 per cent compared with 2001. Most of the cod is still wild-caught and raised before sold, but cod from hatcheries is catching up. Sales of halibut were 427 tonnes in 2003 compared with 424 tonnes in 2002. Other fish species sold as farmed fish in 2003 were char, turbot, mackerel, saithe, eel and catfish.

Shellfish

Sales of shellfish were modest in 2003, according to preliminary figures Mussels are still the main species. The value of the1 367 tonnes that were sold came to NOK 8.3 million, nearly half as much as in 2002.

Tables:

• Table 1 Fish farming. Sales of salmon and trout. Quantity and first-hand value. 2003
• Table 2 Fish farming. Salmon and trout. Number of workers and labour input, by type of license. 2003
• Table 3 Fish farming. Salmon. Stock of fish for food during the period 1January 2003 to 31 December 2003. 1 000 pieces
• Table 4 Fish farming. Salmon and trout. Stock of fish for food per 31 December 2003, by generation