Friday, May 13, 2022

Alaska Insights from the BBRSDA 2022 salmon forecast National Fisherman by Kathryn Gill - May 12, 2022 The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA) and the University of Washington Alaska Salmon Program hosted a webinar on Thursday May 5th to present the 2022 salmon forecast as well as ongoing research into run timing, environmental impacts, and fish and climate trends in the bay. https://www.nationalfisherman.com/west-coast-pacific/insights-from-the-bbrsda-2022-salmon-forecast Navy Responds to Plea Against Gulf of Alaska War Games in Spring 2023 Fishermen's News - May 11, 2022 Joint military exercises in the Gulf of Alaska, which take place every other spring on the eve of the Copper River commercial salmon fishery, are already drawing fire from entities concerned about adverse impact on the area’s fishery and environment in the spring of 2023. https://fishermensnews.com/navy-responds-to-plea-against-gulf-of-alaska-war-games-in-spring-2023/ National US fishing haul dropped 10% during first year of pandemic Anchorage Daily News by Patrick Whittle, Associated Press - May 12, 2022 PORTLAND, Maine — America’s commercial fishing industry fell 10% in catch volume and 15% in value during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal regulators said Thursday. https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2022/05/12/us-fishing-haul-dropped-10-during-first-year-of-pandemic/ Seafood Organizations are Helping Communities Meet Food Needs Perishable News by Seafood Nutrition Partnership Seafood - May 11, 2022 WASHINGTON — With the economic pressures of the past two years and rising prices across all goods, consumers are especially being hit hard when it comes to what they can afford to eat. Seafood Nutrition Partnership is highlighting some of its partners in the Seafood4Health Action Coalition and their programs that are giving back to communities and helping more Americans enjoy nutritious seafood. https://www.perishablenews.com/seafood/seafood-organizations-are-helping-communities-meet-food-needs/ US seafood landings in 2020 hit hard by COVID-19, NOAA Fisheries reports Seafood Source by Steve Bittenbender - May 12, 2022 A pair of fishery status updates released by NOAA Fisheries on Thursday, 12 May, 2022, have revealed the profound impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the U.S. fishing industry, which experienced double-digit percentage decreases in landings and value. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/us-seafood-landings-in-2020-hit-hard-by-covid-19-noaa-fisheries-reports 8 Highlights From The 2020 Fisheries of the United States Report Urner Barry by Amanda Buckle - May 13, 2022 On Thursday NOAA Fisheries released their 2020 Fisheries of the United States Report, an annual look at the economic impacts of fisheries. This document provides data on U.S. recreational catch, commercial fisheries landings and value, as well as other aspects of U.S. commercial fishing. “The numbers presented in these reports highlight the work that our agency, the eight regional fishery management councils, and our stakeholders accomplished together to answer the challenge of COVID-19 while ensuring the sustainability and economic stability of our nation’s fisheries,” explained Janet Coit, the Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, and NOAA’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere. What’s interesting about the latest report is that it focuses on data from when our nation, including those in the commercial fishing industry, faced unprecedented challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the government agency notes in the introduction of the report, “virtually every part of the fishing industry experienced impacts in some form, and information on the fishing industry is even more important.” The 28-page report can be found here, but we’re highlighting the 8 biggest takeaways from the Fisheries of the United States Report below: Total Landings And Value Decline According to NOAA, in 2020 U.S. fishermen at ports in all 50 states landed a combined total of 8.4 billion pounds valued at $4.8 billion. Looking at the year prior, this was a decrease of 10% in landings and a decrease of 15% in value. In 2019 the Fisheries of the United States Report revealed that commercial fishermen landed 9.3 billion pounds of seafood valued at $5.5 billion. While each region saw a drop in landings and value, the losses are mainly out of Alaska and Louisiana. Alaska pollock, chum salmon, sockeye salmon and herring all hit a new five-year low. Pink salmon also took a hit, although because it’s a biennial fishery, that was expected. Louisiana saw new five-year lows for both menhaden and shrimp. Commercial landings by U.S. fishermen at ports outside the 50 states also decreased. An additional 417.6 million pounds was landed at ports outside the 50 states, which is 59 million pounds less than what was recorded last year. However, the value did increase. These commercial landings in 2020 were valued at $277.1 million, an increase of $12.5 million in value compared to 2019. Top Port By Volume For the 24th consecutive year, Dutch Harbor, Alaska was the top port by volume, landing 800.1 million pounds of seafood valued at $186.7 million. Comparing figures, landings in Dutch Harbor are slightly up from 2019’s 763 million pounds, but also slightly lower than the $190 million in value reported at the time. Alaska pollock (walleye) accounts for 92.1% of the volume and 52.2% of the value. Behind that is high-value snow crabs and king crabs, which accounted for 2.1% of the volume, but 34.6% of the value. Top Port By Value For the 21st consecutive year, New Bedford, Massachusetts was the top port by value. The port landed 115.4 million pounds (compared to 116 million pounds in 2019) valued at $376.6 million (compared with $451 million in 2019). Sea scallops made up 83.6% of the value and 26% of the volume. Highest Landings Value by Species In 2020 crabs were the species with the highest landings value at $584 million. Lobster was right behind at $563 million, followed by scallops ($488 million), salmon ($478 million) and shrimp ($435 million). Aquaculture Production The 2020 Fisheries of the United States Report also looks at aquaculture, but the data is from 2019. According to NOAA, in 2019 freshwater plus marine U.S. aquaculture production was estimated to be at 658 million pounds with a value of $1.5 billion. Freshwater aquaculture production decreased by 15.7 million pounds from 2018, while marine aquaculture production decreased by 6.8 million pounds. Processed Fishery Products Taking a look at processed fishery products, the production of fish fillets, including blocks, was 718.5 million pounds, which is 72.3 million pounds less than 2019. This decrease is mainly attributed to less Alaska pollock, Pacific ocean perch fillets and tuna. And while there was less Alaska pollock, Alaska pollock fillets and blocks still led all species, accounting for 55% of the total. Total fillets were valued at $2.2 billion. For canned fishery products in the 50 states, as well as American Samoa and Puerto Rico, the value was $1.5 billion for 846.6 million pounds. This was a decrease in value of $43.8 million compared to 2019, and a decrease in volume of 28.6 million. When looking at the top species processed by value, Alaska pollock takes the top spot at $1.9 billion, followed by shrimp at $1.1 billion, tuna at $918 million, sockeye salmon at $778 million and scallops at $743 million. Top Trade Partners NOAA reports that trade for edible seafood products in 2020 was a deficit of $17.0 billion, which is in line with the year prior. Canada (14%), India (11%), Indonesia (10%), Chile (10%) and China (8%) were our top trade partners for imports. Shrimp was the most valued imported edible fishery product. In 2020 the U.S. imported 1.6 billion pounds (up 6.8% from 2019) valued at $6.4 billion (up 7.5% from 2019). Canada (24%), China (16%), Japan (13%), South Korea (9%) and the Netherlands (7%) were our top markets for U.S. exports. According to NOAA, overall U.S. exports of edible seafood products “dropped significantly” in 2020. The U.S. exported 2.4 billion pounds of seafood, which is down 14.9% from 2019. Those exports were valued at $4.4 billion, down 16.1% from 2019. The top export by value was whole or eviscerated salmon (primarily salmon) at 213 million pounds valued at $449.4 million. Per Capita Consumption Declines Per capita consumption of seafood products in the U.S. declined from 19.3 pounds in 2019 to 19.0 pounds in 2020. NOAA’s data found that consumption of shrimp, canned tuna and canned sardines increased in 2020, but that the overall per capita consumption was offset by declines in consumption of fresh and frozen finfish, as well as lower canned salmon production due to the biennial pink salmon run. Looking specifically at per capita consumption of fresh and frozen products, that comes out to 14.6 pounds. Breaking it down further, fresh and frozen finfish account for 8.3 pounds and fresh and frozen shellfish for 6.3 pounds. Consumption for canned fishery products was 4.1 pounds per capita, which is up 0.3 pounds from 2019. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1225653/8-Highlights-From-The-2020-Fisheries-of-the-United-States-Report Federal Register North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting A Notice by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 05/13/2022 The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) Trawl Electronic Monitoring Committee will meet May 31, 2022. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/05/13/2022-10336/north-pacific-fishery-management-council-public-meeting FYI’s Hybrid NPFMC Meeting Scheduled for June 9-14 in Sitka, Alaska Fishermen's News - May 11, 2022 Final action on Central Gulf of Alaska rockfish adjustments is on the agenda for the hybrid June meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, set for June 6-14 in Sitka, Alaska. https://fishermensnews.com/hybrid-npfmc-meeting-set-for-june-9-14-in-sitka/ Pacific Seafood Processors Association 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. 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