Another observation is high prices for whole fresh seabass and seabream. 

Last time we checked in with the world of seabass and seabream, both species had seen record export volumes, especially for seabream. Diving into the latest trends and news, what noteworthy changes can we take with us from last month?

The market supply of bass is increasing from all producing countries

The largest market Italy shows an increase in apparent consumption of both bass (+6%) and bream (+2%) in January. Here it is noticeable that supply of bass to the market is increased from all producing countries, whereas for bream supply the growth is coming from Greece and supply from other countries being lower than January last year. Dynamics in the French market are very similar with an increase in apparent consumption of both bass (+7%) and bream (+2%) in January. Also, dynamics in the countries supplying France look very similar to Italy, with increased supply of seabass coming from all countries, and seabream showing increased supply from Greece but decreased supply from other producers. In Spain, dynamics are different with strong increase in apparent consumption of both bass (+21%) and bream (+23%) in January. Here increased supply of the domestic production is the increase in apparent consumption.

High prices observed for whole fresh seabass and seabream.

In terms of prices, seabass prices for whole fresh seabass where very high in the first week in January and the first week of February, reaching levels above €5,30 / kg, similar to top prices observed in Autumn 2021. These high prices are once again driven by low volumes being imported from Turkey. For seabream, the picture has not changed compared to last year, showing relative high prices despite high volumes. Volumes year-to-date export volumes of whole fresh seabream to the E are on par with record year 2021, and prices remain high around €4.15/kg.

The high import prices are also translated into high prices on both the Spanish and French wholesales markets. Both seabass and seabream are fetching record prices in Barcelona and Madrid, whereas in France mainly seabass and large bream prices are high.

This is an extraction from our Monthly Seabass and Seabream report. Want to be up to date on news such as this? Subscribe to our monthly report today.

Image: Shutterstock by Goskova Tatiana