Alaska
Alaska Seafood COVID-19 Briefing Paper Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute by McDowell Group - September 2020 September 2020 Edition Prepared on behalf of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute by McDowell Group, this series of briefing papers is intended to provide information on the depth and breadth of the pandemic’s effects on Alaska’s seafood industry. https://uploads.alaskaseafood.org/2020/09/COVID-Alaska-Seafood-Impacts-September-2020-Revised.pdf Pandemic didn’t reduce Alaska seafood harvest, but it did hurt pricing, survey indicates Anchorage Daily News by Laine Welch - September 29, 2020 Some surprising results are revealed in the first of a series of briefing papers showing how Alaska’s seafood industry has been affected by the pandemic from dock to dinner plates. The updates, compiled by the McDowell Group for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, show that so far the amount of seafood that has been harvested is in line with previous years. https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2020/09/29/pandemic-didnt-reduce-alaska-seafood-harvest-but-it-did-hurt-pricing-survey-indicates/ International Russia Experiences Boom of Pollock Consumption SeafoodNews.com by Eugene Gerden - September 30, 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic in Russia and associated negative consequences for the country’s economy has led to a growth in demand for pollock among local customers. According to recent statements made by the experts of the Russian Pollock Association (ADM), the pandemic has had a negative effect on the income of local customers, forcing them to shift to more affordable fish products. Pollock currently remains sone of the most affordable fish species in Russia, in terms of its cost. That has already resulted in the increase of pollock supplies to the Russian market this year. According to data of the ADM, in the first half of 2020, Russian fisherman increased the supplies of pollock to the domestic market by almost 32%, compared to the same period in 2019, to 120,000 tons. Of these, the supplies of frozen pollock fillets and minced meat increased by 1.7 times compared to last year — up to 17,000 tonnes. The latter figure has become the highest figure for the Russian pollock sector for the last five years. According to the Russian TASS news agency, which cites ADM, the consumption of pollock in Russia in 2019 was 1.83 kg per person in terms of raw fish, which means that pollock occupies 8-9% in the average structure of fish consumption in Russia. According to Alexey Buglak, head of the Association, today Russian fishermen completely cover the needs of the domestic market in pollock, while share of imports does not exceed 2-3%. Alexey Buglak comments: “According to ADM forecasts, the trend of increasing supplies and consumption in the domestic pollock market will continue to be observed in the next few years. The coronavirus pandemic has“ hit ” the income of the population. Today, consumers from all over the world have reoriented to more affordable products, as well as products with long shelf life, including semi-finished products." According to his estimates, Russian pollock enterprises will be able to meet the needs of Russians, as they offer a high-quality sea-frozen product at an affordable price. Since the beginning of the year, selling prices for pollock in Russia have dropped by 30%. The increase in demand in the next two to three years, according to the president of ADM, will be ensured by the more active work of the domestic fishing community with the local consumers. As part of these plans, a large-scale marketing campaign to strengthen the image of the Far Eastern pollock will be launched in the Russian market already in the coming months. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1181787/Russia-Experiences-Boom-of-Pollock-Consumption Environment/Science Wind Influences Pollock Success in the Gulf of Alaska New insight on how wind-driven transport affects Alaska pollock dynamics may enhance stock predictions for a valuable commercial fishery. NOAA Fisheries - September 28, 2020 For young Alaska pollock in the Gulf of Alaska, survival may depend on which way the wind blows. A study conclusively shows for the first time that year-to-year variation in the geographic distribution of juvenile pollock in the Gulf of Alaska is driven by wind. Depending on wind direction, water movement may retain juvenile fish in favorable nursery habitats, or transport them away. Young fish that are transported to less favorable habitats are less likely to contribute to year-class strength— the abundance of adults available to the valuable Gulf of Alaska pollock fishery. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/wind-influences-pollock-success-gulf-alaska Gulf research project will focus on fisheries, fishing communities NOAA researchers forecast more rapid change in the Gulf than seen historically Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - September 29, 2020 Federal fisheries researchers will embark on an Oct. 1 new ecosystem-based fishery management project in the Gulf of Alaska. The goal is to determine what the future might look like and how Gulf fishing communities can adapt. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2020/09/29/gulf-research-project-will-focus-on-fisheries-fishing-communities/ FYI’s Alaska fishermen, Oregon foundation help feed military families Cordova Times - September 28, 2020 A partnership of Sitka based commercial fishermen, an Oregon based domestic non-profit and the Armed Services YMCA of Alaska is helping Alaska’s military families to fill their freezers with a total of 50,000 pounds of donated wild Alaska seafood. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2020/09/28/alaska-fishermen-oregon-foundation-help-feed-military-families/
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