The major Norwegian salmon farmers all saw harvest volumes climb in the third quarter, according to their latest trading updates.

SalMar saw its harvest volumes rocket 40 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, harvesting 52,100 metric tons.

From its operations in central Norway, the group harvested 34,200 metric tons. In its Northern Norway operations it harvested 15,500 metric tons. For its Icelandic operations harvested volumes amounted to 2,400 metric tons.

Similarly, Leroy Seafood Group reported a 28 percent rise in the amount of salmon and trout it harvested during the third quarter.

Leroy said harvests amounted to 56,400 metric tons in the quarter, compared to 44,200 metric tons harvested during the same period a year ago.

Trout production accounted for 8,400 metric tons of the harvest in the third quarter of this year.

Year-to-date, the group has harvested 135,300 metric tons of salmon and trout, compared with 122,500 tons harvested over the same period a year ago.

In the third quarter, volumes from Leroy Aurora doubled to 15,700 metric tons, from 7,900 metric tons a year ago; Leroy Midt harvested 22,900 metric tons, more or less level with last year; and Leroy Sjotroll harvested 17,800 metric tons, up 25 percent.

In its trading update Leroy noted that the release-from-stock cost is expected to be lower in the second half of 2021 compared to the first half of the year.

However, due to changes in the harvest plan, the release-from-stock cost for Leroy Sjotroll and Leroy Aurora in the third quarter of 2021 will be higher than expected as of publication of the second quarter report, it said.

Leroy's expected harvest volume for 2021 is not changed.

Norway Royal Salmon (NRS) said its harvest volumes for the third quarter of 2021 were 11,200 metric tons, comprising 8,300 metric tons from its Norwegian operations and 2,900 metric tons from Iceland. This is an increase of 11 percent over the same quarter a year ago, when volumes amounted to 10,058 metric tons.

Faroese salmon giant, Bakkafrost, also saw harvest volumes shoot up in its home county, however volumes from its Scottish operations declined.

The harvest volumes at Bakkafrost's Faroese farms rose 34 percent, hitting 14,900 metric tons, including 2,900 metric tons in the north, 7,800 metric tons in the west, and 4,300 metric tons in the south of the country.

The group's harvest volumes in Scotland, however, were 34 percent lower than during the same quarter a year ago at 6,900 metric tons.

Salmon harvests in the third quarter of 2020 in the Faroes were 11,135 metric tons gross weight, with the Scottish operations harvesting 10,476 metric tons.

Meanwhile, Grieg Seafoods reported a total harvest volume for the third quarter 2021 of 20,500 metric tons, a slight dip of 3 percent compared with the 21,201 metric tons the group harvest in the same period last year.

In an update Grieg said it harvested 6,300 metric tons from its farms in Rogaland, 9,900 metric tons in Finnmark, and 4,300 metric tons in British Columbia, Canada.

The group added that the average regional farming costs per kg for were approximately NOK 46.5 (€4.80/$5.50) in Rogaland, NOK 45.5 (€4.70/$5.40) in Finnmark, and CAD 8.50 (€5.90/$6.90) in Canada.

In Chile, salmon producer Camanchaca said it harvested 9,508 metric tons in the third quarter, down 29 percent from the 13,403 metric tons harvested in the same period last year.

Nevertheless, the company has maintained its Atlantic salmon harvest estimate for 2021 at between 40,000 - 41,000 metric tons, in addition to an estimated harvest of 2,000 metric tons of coho salmon.