The figures show that exports of groundfish products including clipfish, salted fish and stockfish in February totalled NOK 908 million. This is NOK 31 million lower compared to the same period last year but the total volume of exports was 32 700 tonnes, a rise of 2 750 tonnes compared to February last year. The main reason behind the fall of value is the fall in the prices of fresh and frozen cod products as well as a downturn for salted fish. Market analyst Ove Johansen from the Norwegian Seafood Export Council, opined that Norwegian cod is experiencing a tough market situation on several fronts, with price reductions for fresh and frozen products and a reduction in the volume of salted fish. He added that the problems differ from market to market and from product to product, which makes for a rather fragmented picture. Saithe clipfish had the third best month and the best February month ever, with total exports of NOK 161 million. In terms of volume, exports stood at 6 170 tonnes. Exports of Norwegian clipfish from cod increased by NOK 49 million compared with February last year to a total of NOK 166 million. This represents an increase in volume of 1 000 tonnes to a total volume of 2 900 tonnes. Exports of stockfish products also registered an increase of almost NOK 19 million and totaled NOK 65 million. Total exports of salted fish declined by NOK 125 million in February compared to the same month last year. The volume of salted fish exports fell by half, from 4 850 tonnes to 2 360 tonnes. Volume has fallen for all salted fish products, in addition to which there has been a general decline in prices. Groundfish faced tough times as exports of fresh Norwegian cod products totalled NOK 76 million, down by NOK 27 million compared to February last year. Exports of whole fresh groundfish remained stable in value and increased in volume by 2 700 tonnes. Whole Norwegian frozen cod fell by NOK 35 million, resulting from a fall in price of over NOK 10/kg.
