Value growth dwarves volume increase
While the volume of farmed Atlantic and Pacific salmon in British Columbia only increased by some four per cent to 81,500 tonnes last year, the wholesale value of these fish increased by 33.5 per cent, mainly due to the highest prices seen in recent memory. About 90% of the salmon farmed in BC last year were Atlantic salmon (73,300 tonnes). The wholesale value of farmed Atlantic and Pacific salmon was CAD$ 516 million (~€ 365.5 million) and 78.5 million (~€ 55.6 million), respectively (using today’s exchange rate).
The production of wild Pacific salmon went up greatly, to 17,300 tonnes from 9,000 tonnes in 2012 - a 92.2% increase, according to government figures released recently. But the value of this larger harvest only went up by a mere 5.9% - mainly due to the fact that the bulk of the increase in volume (975%) was seen in the catch of pink salmon, which fetched a wholesale value of CAD$ 2.73 (~€ 1.93) per kilo. The average wholesale value for all wild salmon (Chinook, Chum, Coho, Pink and Sockeye salmon) was stated to be CAD$ 10.30 (~€ 7.30) per kilo, and the corresponding value of farmed salmon from BC was CAD$ 7.29 (~€ 5.16) per kilo, But the figures seem a bit out of whack when one looks at the numbers for wild, sockeye salmon, which show a wholesale value of CAD$ 231 (~€ 164) per kilo in 2013!
Sockeye salmon figures, British Columbia Seafood Industry 2013 Year in Review:
| (Values in CAD$) | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
| Harvest, tonnes | 3,100 | 2,100 | 300 |
| Landed value (‘000) | $12,700 | $9,000 | $2,200 |
| Wholesale value (‘000) | $105,700 | $74,000 | $69,300 |
| Wholesale value/Kg | $34.10 | $35.24 | $231.- |
If one used the average wholesale value of the two previous years for sockeye salmon the average wholesale figure for all wild salmon would decrease to some CAD$ 6.90 (~€ 4.89) per kilo. Go figure!
