Available data on first sales in the 15th week of the year for a handful of EU Member States “show an increase in first-sale prices for several species of groundfish and flatfish”, notes the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) on Thursday 16 April.
The increase in first-sale prices may be due, it said, to an increase in demand during the Easter holidays. “However, it should be noted that volumes sold at the first-sale stage were generally low and that at the local level, some species still suffered marked decline in prices”, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Spain, at the end of the fifteenth week, more than 50% of fisheries and almost 100% of the distribution were still active. First-sale prices are recovering.
In France, fisheries activity and landing volumes are still low, but some auctions have been reopened. Volumes were stable (+2%, due to a strong increase for scallops) and average prices increased slightly (+9%).
In Denmark, average daily volumes were slightly higher and prices showed an upward trend, with large variations by species. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)