* Core earnings beat forecasts
* Ups 2009 harvest forecast by 17,000 tonnes to 313,000 * Sees further financial improvements in 2009, reduced debt
* Analyst says underlying performance as expected
(Adds details on one-offs, analyst comment)
OSLO, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Marine Harvest, the world's largest fish farmer, posted above-forecast second-quarter core earnings on Friday and said the outlook for the salmon market was positive for the second half of the year.
Operating profit before interest and tax and fair value adjustments rose to 257 million crowns ($42.7 million), beating forecasts from a Reuters poll of analysts, and up from a 145 million profit a year earlier.
"With a positive outlook for market developments, we expect continued improvements in financial performance for the rest of the year," Chief Executive Aase Michelet said in a statement.
Marine Harvest said it expected to reduce interest-bearing debt during the remainder of the year.
Operating earnings before impairments, restructuring costs, writedowns and fair value adjustments rose to 443 million crowns, within the range of estimates from 270 million to 692 million in a Reuters poll, and up from 270 million a year ago.
The second quarter was heavily influenced by one-off restructuring charges, analysts said, after Marine Harvest reduced its activities in Chile in the second quarter.
"Performance was pretty much as expected in the different business areas," analyst Henning Steffenrud at Handelsbanken Capital Markets said, adding he didn't expect any major share reaction on the back of the report.
Including a positive fair value adjustment on biomass of 384 million crowns, restructuring costs of 117 million, writedowns of fixed assets for 82 million and income from associated companies of 40 million, earnings before interest and taxes was 182 million, up from 6 million last year.
"In addition to increased prices and volumes, we have achieved operational improvement," Michelet said in the statement.
The company announced in July that harvest volumes in the second quarter rose to 83,000 tonnes from 76,000 tonnes in the first quarter and 81,000 tonnes in the year-ago period.
Operating revenues rose to 3.95 billion crowns in the second quarter from 3.2 billion a year ago and against analysts' average estimate of 3.66 billion crowns.
The increase was due to higher prices and a slight increase in volumes, Marine Harvest said.
It said it expected to harvest 70,000 tonnes in the third quarter and 313,000 tonnes in 2009, up 17,000 tonnes from earlier full-year guidance. (Reporting by Richard Solem, editing by Will Waterman) ($1=6.014 Norwegian Crown)