Overview
- Fleets report catches at least twice last year’s levels, with hauls reaching up to 80 kilograms per hour on the German North Sea coast.
- Average producer prices have fallen to about €4.75 per kilogram from €13–14 early this year, returning boats to profitability.
- The sudden volume increase is straining peeling capacity in Morocco, creating a processing bottleneck that delays retail availability.
- An industry expert expects retail purchase prices to drop sharply before Christmas, potentially to nearly half of spring levels.
- Fishermen point to the absence of whiting as a factor in the rebound and are resuming investments, while roughly 70 cutters in Schleswig-Holstein are set to fish through a season running to mid-December.