Traditional bivalve shellfish are mainly consumed in the producing countries in the form of fresh products. However, in recent years, there has been a trend of increase in international trade in bivalves. This is especially true for frozen bivalve products. Currently, the demand for bivalve shellfish is high, causing their prices to rise rapidly.
mussel
China is the world's largest producer of mussels, with an annual output of about 600,000 tonnes. Spain is a major producer of mussels for human consumption, producing 250 000 tonnes of mussels per year, and on an upward trend. In recent years, Spanish producers have managed to obtain protected appellations of origin certification from the EU28 countries, which will help to raise their profile in the EU28 market.
Northern European consumers pay about twice as much as southern European consumers. This may be because the supply in the southern part of the continent is simpler and shorter. But mussels are expected to increase their presence in new markets, such as Russia and the United States, where prices are likely to rise with additional demand.
Australia is expanding its blue mussel farming industry, with the goal of taking advantage of the different climatic seasons in the Southern Hemisphere to sell blue mussels to the EU28 and the United States of America during a year of lower production. Compared with the same period last year, Chile's mussel exports in the first half of this year were stable at 44 000 tons. Although Spain remains the main customer for Chilean exports of frozen mussels, their share of the Spanish market is declining. This product enters the Spanish canning industry mainly as a raw material.
Spanish mussel imports declined in 2019, possibly due to good domestic production. The data shows that only 9,000 tons were imported in six months, compared with 13,000 tons and 10,000 tons in the same period in 2017 and 2018, respectively. France reported stable imports at 31,000 tonnes in 2019, with Spain and the Netherlands as major suppliers.
scallops
After banning imports from China in 2007, the European Union (member organization) re-approved China's export of scallops to EU28 countries in 2019. Peruvian scallop production fully recovered after contracting in 2017 and 2018, when production fell by 80% due to environmental concerns.
In the near future, Peru will mainly target the U.S. market, as Chinese exports in Peru will be affected by U.S. tariffs on seafood such as Chinese scallops in the coming months. The EU28 market for Peruvian scallops is expected to recover very slowly. France imported 1 600 tonnes in the first half of this year, four times the same period in 2018.
Total world scallop exports fell from 92,800 tonnes in January-June 2018 to 73,700 tonnes in the same period in 2019.
Oysters (oysters)
In the first half of 2019, the global oyster trade stabilized at around 32,000 tonnes. South Korea and France are major exporters, while the United States and Japan are major importers. South Korea mainly targets the Japanese market, while France exports to the EU-28 and China. Consumption in the first few months of 2019 was not strong, but consumption was stronger in the fourth quarter.
clams
In the first six months of 2019, clam exports increased slightly to 141 000 tonnes. Japan and the Republic of Korea are major importers, while China is a major exporter, a model that has remained stable for years.
analyse
Spanish mussel production will break records in 2019 and could reach the 300,000 tonne mark. Mussel prices are stable this year, but given the good demand, there could be an increase at the end of the year and early 2020.
The sweltering summer in France in June 2019 had an impact on oyster mortality. The outlook for oyster production in 2020 is gloomy, production is down and prices are likely to rise.
The changes in eu-28 policies towards Chinese scallops will benefit trade. China is likely to significantly increase scallop exports to eu-28 countries, meaning that Chinese products will compete with those of other scallop suppliers. At the same time, the peruvian scallop season is expected to return to the traditional market in 2020, mainly in France, followed by Italy. Good demand in all markets will continue to contribute to an increase in bivalve shellfish production. As demand outstrips supply, southern European clam prices are likely to continue to rise. Prices are expected to normalize in early 2020, when sales will begin to slow.