The second quarter of 2024 was another challenging period for Bergen, Norway-headquartered Grieg Seafood, with biological difficulties impacting the group’s performance and results, according to CEO Andreas Kvame.
Grieg’s operations in British Columbia, Canada, were severely affected by low dissolved oxygen during the quarter, causing increased mortality rates, loss of feeding days, and reduced growth; while its Finnmark, Norway, harvest volumes continued to be impacted by the parasite Spironucleus salmonicida and string jellyfish, which were issues that carried over from the first quarter of the year.
Regarding Finnmark, by the end of July, Grieg had harvested fish previously exposed to Spironucleus salmonicida. Combined with measures taken to improve fish health overall, biological performance in the region is improving and costs are expected to decrease, Kvame said. Kvame added in the company’s Q2 2024 results, released 21 August, that he believes Finnmark is heading toward better performance.
Grieg’s Finnmark harvest volume for Q2 ended at 3,886 MT, compared with 5,573 MT in Q2 2023.
Meanwhile, earnings and farming costs in the Rogaland region of Norway were impacted by planned low harvest volumes – down from 11,536 MT in the same period a year prior to 2,771 MT, as part of plans to build biomass.
“Rogaland was the first region to implement our post-smolt strategy. Since implementation, we have proved that the strategy contributes to good biology and high average weight, underscoring our strong conviction that this is a key element to securing good fish health and welfare,” Kvame said.
Across the Atlantic Ocean, Grieg’s British Columbia (B.C.) farms harvested 8,615 MT, up from 5,537 MT, while no fish were harvested in Newfoundland (NL).
Kvame also advised that amid …
