It is informed that the global supply of edible whitefish species, now including pangasius and tilapia, is over 10 million tonnes. The resurgence of whitefish is based on two key trends: the growth in the supply of cod and haddock, and the continued growth of the primary whitefish aquaculture species such as tilapia, pangasius and catfish. It is said that the rise in global cod supplies will be 18 percent in 2010 over 2007, while pangasius and tilapia supplies will be up by 16 percent.
Such increases added 817 000 tonnes to global whitefish supplies, the equivalent of an entirely new Alaska pollock fishery. But the volumes of Alaska pollock will remain stable in 2010, as increases in Russia will offset the declines in Alaska. Alaska pollock catches in the USA will be 900 000 tonnes, while for Russia it is 1.65 million tonnes. Compared with 2007, when US landings were 1.4 million, the total for 2010 will only be 50 000 tonnes below the 2007 figure.
There will be simultaneous growth of both farmed tilapia and pangasius, together with the growth in wild harvests of cod and other groundfish is a trend that is likely to last several years into the future. The positive trends in groundfish and other whitefish has created good market opportunity for the fishermen and this would influence the prices also.
