Fish export value rises by EUR 90m

Finland in 2017 exported 77 million kilograms of fish and fish products, posting a five million kilo increase from the previous year, said the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) in a press release on Thursday.

The value of the exports stood at EUR 148 million, marking a EUR 90 million rise year on year, said a press release on Thursday.

“The increase in the value of fish exports was mainly due to the fact that the value of exports of fresh whole salmon, imported from Norway and exported to other European countries, increased from EUR 8 million to EUR 96 million. In total, 15 million kilograms was exported,” said Senior Statistician Pentti Moilanen from Luke.

The key export countries for fish and fish products were Estonia, the UK, France, Poland, Denmark, Lithuania, and Belarus. Over half of all fresh whole salmon was exported to the UK and France.

Finland’s most important fish exports included fresh salmon and rainbow trout, fresh and frozen Baltic herring and sprat, and fish roe and roe products. Fishmeal was a new export product with over a million kilograms exported last year.

On the other hand, Finland imported about 116 million kilos of fish and fish products in 2017, showing a 15 million kilo increase year on year. The total value of fish imports rose by EUR 108 million to EUR 510 million.

“The increase in the value of exports of fresh salmon to EUR 96 million was also reflected in the increase by the value of imports,” Moilanen added.

The most important import countries for fish and fish products included Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Estonia.