Aquaculture (terminated in Statistics Norway), 2011, preliminary figures

In fish farming, the total sales quantity of fish for food increased by 11.7 per cent from 2010 to 2011, and reached 1.14 million tonnes. However, the first hand value decreased by 4.7 per cent and ended at NOK 29.3 billion.

Record year for salmon

Compared with 2010, the sales quantity of salmon increased by 12.8 per cent, and reached 1.06 million tonnes. The average price per kilo fell from NOK 30.35 in 2010 to NOK 25.65 in 2011. The aggregated first hand value of salmon was NOK 27 billion, which is a drop of 4.6 per cent compared to 2010.

Sales of rainbow trout also increased in 2011 after a down period in 2010. A rise of 7 per cent resulted in 58 383 tonnes of sold fish. Nevertheless, the level is low compared to the peak year of 2008 when 90 000 tonnes of rainbow trout were sold. The first hand value in 2011 reached almost NOK 1.66 billion¹; a decline of 4.2 per cent compared to the year before. The average price per kilo fell from NOK 31.64 in 2010 to NOK 28.40 in 2011.

Other species

For other marine species, the sales quantity fell for all species except halibut, whilst the opposite took place for first-hand value. A total of 18 529 tonnes of other marine species were sold in 2011, at a corresponding first-hand value of NOK 472 million.

Shellfish

The production quantity of shellfish was relatively stable between 2010 and 2011, but the first-hand value rose by 26 per cent. Species like king crab, crayfish and lobster are the reason for the rise in value.

Employment up

The largest fish farming county in Norway is Nordland in terms of quantity, value and number of licences, but Hordaland is the largest employer in aquaculture. The number of employees has risen steadily in recent years. In 2011, 315 more people were engaged in fish farming, of which 256 worked in fish for food production and 59 in hatcheries and fingerling production. Overall, 5 430 were engaged in aquaculture production with a total of 7 million man hours.

Tables:

• Table 1 Sales of slaughtered fish for food. Quantity, by fish species and county. 2011*. Tonnes
• Table 2 Sales of slaughtered fish for food. First hand value, by fish species and county. 2011*. NOK 1 000
• Table 3 Number of licenses running, workers and labour input, by type of production and county. Salmon and rainbow trout. 2011*
• Table 4 Stock of live fish for food, by species of fish and county. All fish species. 2011*. 1 000 pieces
• Table 5 Sales of shellfish, by fish species. 2000-2011*.Tonnes and NOK 1 000