38 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



Vol. 28, No. 10 



FOREIGN 



EUROPE 

 Denmark 



COD-BLOCK INDUSTRY 



IS IMPORTANT U.S. SUPPLIER 



The Danish frozen cod -block industry has 

 been an important supplier to United States 

 firms in recent years. The industry pro- 

 duces each year about 21,000 metric tons of 

 cod blocks, and an increasing quantity is ex- 

 ported to the United States for use in fish 

 sticks and portions. 



The cod fishery annually produces about 

 68,000 metric tons (round fresh weight), ac- 

 cording to the Danish Fisheries Ministry. Of 

 this total, about 30 percent comes from fish- 

 ing operations in the North Sea, 30 percent 

 from the Eastern Baltic, 15 percent from the 

 Belt Sea, 13 percent from the Kattegat, and 

 about 6 percent from the Skagerrak. 



Seasonal catches of cod are heaviest from 

 January through April averaging about 9,000 

 metric tons monthly. Later in the year, 

 monthly catches are about halved. 



Denmark also p r odu c e s substantial 

 amounts of rodspaette (plaice) and herring 

 fillets. 



The Danish Fishing Industry Association 

 (Dansk Fiskeindustriforening), Esbjerg, Den- 

 mark, represents producers of all kinds of 

 fish fillets. Eleven of its members produce 

 cod blocks. The Association covers all Den- 

 mark except the Island of Bornholm. (U. S. 

 Embassy, Copenhagen.) 



:^ 3je ^ :{( :^ 



MIDYEAR DATA MADE AVAILABLE 



Data provided by the Ministry of Fisheries 

 give this picture of the Danish fisheries for 

 January-June 1966: 



Catch: Landings of fish in local ports by 

 Danish fishing craft were 5 percent less than 

 during the same period of 1965. Herring land- 

 ings were down 38 percent. Flatfish landings 

 were off about 20 percent. Pond trout pro- 

 duction was slightly below last year's record 

 rate. 



Cod landings were up 7 percent. The catch 

 of codlike fish was up 179 percent; smallhad- 

 dock and whiting for reduction accounted for 

 a large share of these catches. Landings of 

 fish, primarily herring, in Danish ports by 

 foreign fishing vessels declined 15 percent. 

 Danish landings in foreign ports were more 

 than double those of the first 6 months of 

 1965. 



Average Prices: Average monthly prices 

 for the main species of fish continued gener- 

 ally hi gh e r during the first half of 1966. 

 Prices for plaice eased slightly in May be- 

 cause of good landings, but June prices were 

 nearly the same as June 1965. Herring 

 prices, responding to lower landings, were 

 strong. Industrial fish prices held up as the 

 world fish meal market continued strong. 

 Salmon landings were about one -fourth below 

 last year's record level, and salmon prices 

 were very high, ranging from US$1.13 to 

 $1.48 a pound. 



Processing: The quantity of each major 

 category of processed products, except 

 smoked fish, was less than during the first 

 half of 1965. Production of fresh plaice fillets 

 was down 38 percent. With lesser quantities 

 of herring available for reduction, production 

 of fish meal, oil, and solubles was down 18 

 percent, 14 percent, and 5 percent, respec- 

 tively. 



Table 1 - Production of Some Processed Fishery Products, 

 January -June 1966 



Product 



Ian. -Tune 1966 



Change from 

 Jan. -June 1965 



Vear 

 1965 



Quantity 



Canned: 



Metric Tons 



1,123 



1,196 



2,912 



270 



186 



Percentage 



- 37 

 + 141 



- 1 



- 65 



- 38 



Metric Tons 



2,805 

 1,897 

 3,912 

 1,300 

 710 



Herring & sprats. . 



Mackerel 



Other fish 



Crustacea 



Mussels 



Total 



5,687 



- 5 



10, 624 



Fresh & frozen fillets: 



Cod 



Cod-likei/ .... 



Plaice 



Other flatfish . . . 



Herring 



Other fish 



15,895 

 1,959 

 4,785 

 1,112 



24,929 

 43 



- 3 

 + 13 



- 38 

 + 11 

 + 3 



- 58 



26, 596 

 3,300 



17,054 

 2,151 



51,538- 

 114 



Total 



48,723 



- 5 



100,753 



1^/Haddock, coalfish, hake, ling, etc. 

 Source: Danish Ministry of Fisheries. 



