According to the figures released by Norwegian Seafood Export Council the value of exports of herring totalled NOK 1.9 billion, down by NOK 171 million or 8 percent compared to the first half-year of 2009. In the same period, exports of mackerel were down by 24 percent from NOK 652 million in 2009 to NOK 491 million in 2010. Exports of capelin also registered a decline of 34 percent.
The biggest market of this fish is Russia which also went down by 3,000 tonnes compared to the same period last year. Senior analyst Kristin Lien from the Norwegian Seafood Export Council, said that in the first half-year of 2010, export volumes have been lower for whole herring, capelin and mackerel compared to the first half-year of 2009, although exports of herring fillets were up. At the same time, prices for the most important products have been significantly down on last year, which has resulted in a decline in the total value of exports of NOK 468 million.
The Council also states that the volume of exports of frozen whole herring totalled 263,000 tonnes in first half, down by 5,000 tonnes compared to the same period last year. In the first half-year of 2010, the volume of exports of frozen herring fillet products totalled 96,000 tonnes, an increase of 11,000 tonnes. However, in the first half-year of 2010, the volume of exports of frozen mackerel totalled 43,000 tonnes, a decline of 5,000 tonnes. The biggest markets are Russia with 9,000 tonnes, Turkey with 8,000 tonnes and China with 7,000 tonnes.
