Alaska/Pacific Coast
King salmon arrives in stores, commanding royal prices; relief could come soon San Fransisco Chronicle by Tara Duggan - May 13, 2019 King salmon, once as ubiquitous as burgers in backyard Bay Area barbecues, has commanded astonishingly high prices in recent years, turning the local fish into a luxury good. So far, this year's salmon season has continued that trend, but experts say prices are expected to drop next month. https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/King-salmon-arrives-in-stores-commanding-royal-13842465.php Politics Dunleavy administration weighs in on Pebble-backed lawsuit against BBRSDA KDLG by Isabelle Ross - May 10, 2019 Last month, six commercial fishermen filed a lawsuit against the regional seafood association in Bristol Bay to which they belong. The lawsuit, funded by the Pebble Limited Partnership, challenges more than $250,000 in funds the association had spent on groups that oppose the Pebble Mine. Now, the Dunleavy administration has added its voice to the dispute. https://www.kdlg.org/post/dunleavy-administration-weighs-pebble-backed-lawsuit-against-bbrsda#stream/0 International Updated fisheries law could stem loss of stocks, biodiversity: supporters The Canadian Press by Amy Smart - May 15, 2019 Significant changes could be coming to the way fisheries are managed in Canada, giving hope for the rebound of some species and the protection of others, says an ocean conservation group. https://www.alaskahighwaynews.ca/updated-fisheries-law-could-stem-loss-of-stocks-biodiversity-supporters-1.23822931 ANALYSIS: Tariffs High, Inventory Holdings Low Urner Barry by Lorin Castiglione - May 15, 2019 Seasonally, January brings in the highest volume of product from China, however, this was not the case for the start of 2019. January imports fell way below average with importers rushing product into the country in December 2018 to get ahead of the 25% tariff originally set for a January 1st, 2019 start date. With a 90-day window to prepare after the 10% tariffs were set in place, the industry was able to evaluate their current inventory levels and make a necessary plan of action for how they will proceed accordingly, securing volume that would typically come into the country in January, a month earlier. While January imports typically bring in the largest volume of the year, seasonally March and April bring in the least. Plants overseas shut down for about two weeks during Chinese New Year, resulting in less product being shipped out the following months. Because of this, inventory positions are not very strong this time of year as industry players work on replenishment, however this year that product will come at a cost as any product loaded in Chinese ports after 12:01 AM on Friday, May 10th, 2019 will incur a 25% tariff. With this shift in imports, we must look at the data differently to understand how we compare to previous years. The below chart illustrates imports from October through March for the previous five years and we can see that even though we saw record high imports this past December, it still does not add up to previous years of the same timeframe.
While the 10% tariffs didn't cause too much disruption, there are major concerns about how these heightened tariffs will affect the trade flow and future business. Once contracts are up for renewal, many fear buyers will be looking to other countries of origin or even substitution of species outside of those imported from China to avoid paying a premium. Regarding tilapia, which is the largest seafood species by volume imported from the country, over 84 percent of the U.S. tilapia market is imported from China, followed by Indonesia at just 8 percent. This could be an opportunity for Indonesia and possibly other countries to produce a larger portion of the tilapia we consume here in the U.S. if demand remains consistent.
Labeling and Marketing McDonald's to introduce fish & chips across Canada this week Beginning Tuesday, fish & chips will be added to the McDonald's menu across Canada for a limited time. Vancouver Sun - May 13, 2019 Beginning Tuesday, fish & chips will be added to the McDonald's menu across Canada for a limited time. The item uses haddock caught and packed in Atlantic Canada, supplied to the fast-food chain by Lunenburg, Nova Scotia’s High Liner Foods. https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/mcdonalds-to-introduce-fish-chips-across-canada-this-week
Ann Owens Pacific Seafood Processors Association Office Manager 1900 W Emerson Place Suite 205, Seattle, WA 98119 Phone: 206.281.1667 E-mail: admin@pspafish.net; Website: www.pspafish.net Our office days/hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. *Inclusion of a news article, report, or other document in this email does not imply PSPA support or endorsement of the information or opinion expressed in the document.