World Salmon Farming Expected to Climb

Foreign Fishery Developments Table 1.-World production of pen·farmed salmon. 1981-83 and 1990 projections. Salmon production (t) Species and nation 1981 1982 1983 1990 World Salmon Farming Atlantic salmon Norway 8,907 10,266 17,016 80,000 Expected to Climb United Kingdom 1,000 2,100 2,500 8,500 Ireland 80' 103 256 2,000 Canada 35 140 180' 1,000 Faroe Islands 100' 130 160 2,000 Sweden 80' 80' 100' 500 Iceland' 20' 30 50 300 The world production of pen (Scotland), which produced 2,500 t of Finland 30 30 30 200 farmed salmon doubled during France 2' 5' 10' 30 salmon in 1983, is the only country -------- 1981-83. Of the 24,500 metric tons (t) besides Norway with a large and suc Subtotal 10,234' 12,884' 20,302' 94,530 of farmed salmon produced in 1983, cessful Atlantic salmon farming in Pacific salmon almost 85 percent was Atlantic dustry. Production of pen-farmed Japan 1,150 2,122 2,900 8,000 salmon, Sa/mo safar (Table 1). While United States 450' 680' 900' 1,800 salmon in other countries is not Canada 176 400' 129' 450 the farming of Pacific salmon, On substantial, but continues to expand. Chile 60 80 100 3,000 France 60 80 80 500 corhynchus spp., has also been in New Zealand 2' 5' 10' 50 creasing, the 1983 production ac Norway counted for only 15 percent of the Norway is the world's most impor Subtotal 1,898' 3,392' 4,119' 12,800 total world production of pen-farmed tant producer of pen-farmed salmon. Grand tOlaP 12,132 16,276 24,421 107,330 salmon. Their production in ocean cages has , NMFS estimates. Salmon are farmed by two com increased dramatically during the past 2 Includes ocean ranching. mon methods. Cage culture involves decade, from only 170 t in 1973 to rearing salmon in enclosures until 17,000 t in 1983. During January-May they are ready for harvesting. The 1984, Norwegian fish farmers pro enclosures may be pens, cages, or duced almost 10,000 t of salmon, or Table 2.-Norweglan exports of 'armed salmon, by country, 1982-83. tanks. Ocean ranching involves releas 44 percent more than during the same Exports (I) ing immature salmon and harvesting period in 1983. If production con Change the fish upon their return to the point tinued to increase at the same rate, Country 1982 1983 (%) of release. This report is primarily Norway would have produced an France 2,710 4,293 + 59 concerned with cage culture, where estimated 24,500 t of farmed salmon United States 930 2,486 + 167 German y (FRG) 1,850 2,466 + 33 the harvest is predictable and can be in 1984. Future production is also Denmark 1,240 1,957 + 58 done according to market demands. projected to increase to an estimated United Kingdom 930 1,381 + 48 Sweden 590 824 + 40 The NMFS Branch of Foreign 50,000 t in 1986 and 80,000 tin 1990. Belgium 370 558 + 51 Switzerland 350 504 + 44 Fisheries Analysis projects that the Norwegian production, however, Spain 270 453 + 68 production of pen-farmed Atlantic will depend on several factors in Netherlands 120 182 + 52 Japan 40 134 +235 and Pacific salmon may exceed cluding the supply of smolts and com Finland 140 127 - 9 100,000 t by 1990 (Table 1). petition from other countries which Other 40 94 + 135 Norwegian salmon farmers alone ex produce farmed salmon. Ironically, Total 9,412 15,464 + 64 pect to produce 80,000 t of Atlantic Norwegian companies have assisted Source: Royal Norwegian Embassy, Washing· salmon, but farmers in other coun many of these countries in ton, D.C., 1984. tries also plan to increase their pro establishing salmon farms because duction significantly. These produc Norwegian Government regulations tion estimates, however, depend on limit the size of salmon farms. Since whether economic and environmental the regulations do not allow the com conditions will permit such expansion panies to expand operations in their creased from 9,400 t to 15,500 t, or by of salmon farming industries. own country, several Norwegian com 4 percent (Table 2). Observers believe Norway is by far the most impor panies have exported their salmon that the salmon exports increased tant producer of pen-farmed salmon. farming technology to other countries because of the high quality of the fish In 1983, the Norwegian production of where favorable environmental condi and its year-round availability. farmed Atlantic salmon totaled over tions or potential markets exist. The Norwegian Government is ac 17,000 t, or about 70 percent of the Farmed salmon has become an im tively assisting and regulating the estimated world production. Japan is portant Norwegian fishery export. In salmon farming industry. The the second largest producer, but the 1983, Norway exported 15,500 t of Government assists small-scale entire 2,900 t of salmon farmed in farmed salmon, or over 90 percent of farmers by guaranteeing loans 1983 was Pacific salmon for domestic its production. During 1982-83, through the Regional Development consumption. The United Kingdom Norwegian farmed salmon exports in- Fund and the Agricultural Develop- 90 Marine Fisheries Review ment Fund. The Government also Table 3.-Number of Norwegian salmon farms Table 4.-U.K. farmed Atlantic salmon pro· provides funds to research institutes and production. 1975-83. ductlon. 1975-1990. studying salmon farming methods Number of farms Year Quantity (t) Year Quantity (t) and reportedly pays a $0.50/kg sub Salmon Salmonl Production 1975 200' 1983 2,536 Year only trout (I) 1976 400' 1984 4,000' sidy to airlines for shipping fresh 1977 400' 1985 4,300' farmed salmon. 1975 18 27 862 1978 450' 1986 5,300' 1976 33 28 1,431 1979 520 1987 6,000' The Norwegian Government 1977 53 31 2,137 1980 598 1988 6,500' regulates salmon farming by limiting 1981 1,333 1989 7,500' 1978 65 51 3,540 1982 2,152 1990 8,500' the maximum size of fish farms. As a 1979 72 75 4,389 1980 91 82 4,312 1 Estimated. result, most Norwegian salmon farms , NMFS projection. are small; the average annual produc 1981 97 118 8,907 Sources: Highlands and Islands Development 1982 136 127 10,266 Board (1975-79 estimates); Department of tion of the 301 salmon farms (rain 1983 179 122 17,016 Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland bow trout, S. gairdneri, was also pro (1979-83 data). duced by 122 of the salmon farms) Source: Norwegian Central Bureau of Statistics. operating in 1983 was 57 t (Table 3). This policy is intended to ensure that small-scale fish farmers can make a living. Additionally, the many small ty of which come from the United sion of the Scottish salmon industry scale salmon farming operations States. The Japanese Government depends on the future success of these maintain an industry and a popula does not offer financial incentives to onshore projects. tion in previously underpopulated salmon farmers. The British Government provides coastal regions. little assistance to the salmon farms United Kingdom Japan apart from regional development sub The United Kingdom (U.K.) is the sidy programs, which together with Japan farms only Pacific salmon in only country outside Norway with a European Community (EC) assist ocean cages. Japanese pen farming of large and commercially successful ance, have provided some start-up salmon began in 1973, when 1 million Atlantic salmon farming industry. All and working capital. While the coho salmon, 0. kisutch, eggs were U.K. salmon fanning is located in Government does have some authori imported from the United States for Scotland, mostly in the protected ty over fish farming (primarily to con freshwater culture. In 1975, the fjord-like regions of the Western Isles trol fish diseases), there are no regula Japanese switched to marine pen and off the northwestern coast. Most tions preventing large corporations or farming because the salmon grew salmon is farmed by large companies foreign investors from operating a faster in the ocean. such as Marine Harvest and Golden salmon farm. As a result, many The Japanese production of pen Sea Products. Other important pro Norwegian companies are playing an farmed cohos has increased from 72 t ducers are McConnell Salmon, increasingly active role in the Scottish in 1978 to 2,900 t in 1983. Japanese Joseph Johnson, Wester Ross, and salmon industry. companies are expected to produce Lancatch. Many small-scale salmon 4,500 t of farmed salmon in 1984 and farms have also started commercial Ireland as much as 8,000 t in 1990. The production in the past few years. Ireland produces farmed Atlantic Nichiro' company produced about Farmed salmon production has in salmon by ranching and ocean cage half of the estimated 1984 production creased rapidly from only 600 t in methods. In 1983, Ireland produced (2,500 t), followed by Taiyo (1,000 t), 1980 to 2,500 t in 1983 (Table 4). 256 t of pen-farmed salmon, much of Nichimo (500 t), and other smaller Scottish officials are projecting that which was marketed in the United companies (500 t). Currently, the en production will be about 4,000 t in Kingdom. Several state-sponsored tire production is consumed domes 1984. Since there is a limited number and private organizations are begin tically and the farmed coho salmon of suitable sites, the production of ning salmon culture projects. The does not compete with Japanese farmed salmon is not expected to ex Irish Government granted the Salmon salmon imports from the United ceed 8,500 t in 1990.

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