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FISH supplies coming into the UK are this week showing a marked improvement after the dismal offerings of the past ten days.
More than 5,000 boxes are expected to be on sale at Grimsby and Hull today, the two big Humber markets and the main suppliers of fresh cod and haddock to the wholesale and retail trade.
Leading fish supplier M&J Seafoods said supplies of large cod in particular will be very good, with prices dipping a little, but codling prices will remain expensive.
More than 60 tons of haddock are expected on the market which could also see prices easing back slightly. Good supplies of wild Pacific halibut and farmed halibut from Norway are also expected. There are thought to be no problems with farmed salmon supplies, although the prediction is that large Scottish fish will be hard to come by this week.
Looking ahead M&J says in its monthly forecast that although there are increased quotas on Baltic, Norwegian and Russian cod the weak pound and higher shipping costs could mean higher prices later in the summer.
Haddock supplies remain difficult and, again because of weaknesses with sterling, Iceland in particular is selling more fish to the United States, a development which is worrying buyers on the Humber.
M&J warns that haddock prices may soon reach parity with cod. The price of sea bass from fish farms in Greece and Turkey is also on the up because some producers have gone out of business in the recession and those that remain are holding back on supplies to push the price up.
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
