In its third quarter results on Thursday, Marine Harvest said it would stock 11.3 million fewer smolt than expected in 2011 and 2012.

This corresponds to 45,000 metric tons less of harvesting, an analyst said.

"This is positive for the market balance, but negative for Marine Harvest's growth prospects," Kolbjorn Giskeodegard, analyst at Nordea Markets, said in a note on Thursday.

Giskeodegard also pointed to the increase in Marine Harvest's net-interest bearing debt to NOK 343 million (€44.6 million/$62 million).

That is NOK 142 million (€18.5