As you know, Norway and Scotland are the largest salmon producers. But because of the terrible sea lice epidemic, the number of fish in specialized farms decreased by 9%. It led to the problems with the export of salmon and the price increase.
Over the past six years, this is the first decline in the salmon population, and the sharpest one in twenty-five years.
Chile is also considered one of the largest exporters of salmon worldwide but in early 2016 the largest fish farms of the country affected by the toxic and dangerous algae, leading to a decline in production and export of salmon by 25%.
In 2016 salmon demand grew by 25% in the world market and its production decreased by 8.7% (to 2.1 million tons). Since the beginning of the 2000s an average demand for salmon has increased by 12%.
This fish prices have already started to grow. For example, in Norway, the wholesale price of salmon is about 80 kroner (9.35 dollars) per kilogram. Analysts say that in the nearest future the consumer market should also expect a jump in prices.
The traders estimated that despite the traditionally high demand during the winter festive period, the current price is too high for many buyers. Some traders, in particular, noted the emergence of problems with wholesale sales of salmon, as the number of buyers willing to sign contracts for such a high price has dropped dramatically. In these circumstances, many traders expect that prices could fall even earlier than expected.
