Tuesday, April 26, 2022

International JAPAN: U.S. Alaska Pollock Surimi Price May Rise 50-70 Yen Per Kilo SeafoodNews.com by Tom Asakawa - April 26, 2022 The market price of Alaska pollock frozen surimi from the United States, the primary raw material for surimi products such as kamaboko, is expected to rise gradually this spring. The price increase for small-lot users in Japan is expected to be around 60 to 70 yen/kg ($.47-.55/kg) for high-end products and 40 to 50 yen/kg ($.31-.39/kg) for low-end products compared to March. Due to the reduction in production in the United States, the world's largest surimi producer, and the growing sense of tight supply and demand due to the expansion of global demand for surimi, labor costs, ocean transportation costs, rising costs such as soaring energy prices, and the sharp depreciation of the yen, U.S. surimi, depending on the grade, is expected to reach a record high. There is no waiting for the cost increase to be passed on to the product price, reported Minato Shimbun. The market price of U.S. surimi in 2021 increased by around 70-80 yen/kg ($.55-.62/kg) throughout the year (A season and B season in the latter half). In 2021, as this year, the strength of the tight feeling of surimi supply and demand and the soaring cost hit directly. The surimi producer's cost of dealing with the new coronavirus also influenced. A surimi importer said, "In recent years, the price of surimi varies depending on the volume of transactions, sales conditions, and grade of surimi. The price increase is not the same for each company." The price of US surimi increased in the A season this year, the third consecutive season of the price increase. Even before announcing a 20% year-on-year decrease in Alaska pollack catch (TAC) this year, there was a widespread belief that soaring labor costs and ocean freight rates would put upward pressure on the surimi market. A considerable TAC reduction and a sharp rise in energy prices overlapped there, and a further rise in energy prices due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine hit directly. The price will rise sharply this year in the A season. The total surimi production in the A season ended is expected to exceed 71,000 tons, a decrease of 10 to 20% from the same period of the previous year. Although the TAC reduction has had an impact, the rate of decrease in the amount of surimi brought into Japan may exceed the decrease in production, according to surimi importers. Surimi-based crab analog manufacturers in France, Lithuania, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States seem to have concluded pricing negotiations earlier than Japan due to rising demand for US surimi. The sale is said to be prioritized in these markets. The end-product price must increase. In the latter half of last year, Japanese surimi product manufacturers announced that they would raise the product price by about a few percent from this spring. However, it is impossible to absorb the current cost increase with a price increase of a few percent. Further product price increases are required to maintain the quality of the surimi products. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1224308/JAPAN-US-Alaska-Pollock-Surimi-Price-May-Rise-50-70-Yen-Per-Kilo Environment/Science Fish passage restoration funds include projects for Cordova, Valdez area Cordova Times - April 23, 2022 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investing $200 million nationwide to restore fish and wildlife passages by removing in-stream barriers and providing technical assistance under the National Fish Passage Program, including $1.3 million for the Little Tonsina River, with flows into the Copper River. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2022/04/23/fish-passage-restoration-funds-include-projects-for-cordova-valdez-area/ NOAA Fisheries devised new tool for monitoring movement of marine fish Cordova Times - April 25, 2022 A new Distribution Mapping and Analysis Portal online and open to the public is helping NOAA Fisheries to better track the location and movement of marine fish in U.S. waters. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2022/04/25/noaa-fisheries-devised-new-tool-for-monitoring-movement-of-marine-fish/ Labeling and Marketing RFM Certification Drives Purchase of Wild-Caught Alaska Seafood Sustainability means more than protecting the environment Progressive Grocer - April 18, 2022 When it comes to seafood, it also means protecting the fish and the communities responsible for the catch — all things that are important to today’s increasingly health- and environmentally conscious consumers. https://progressivegrocer.com/rfm-certification-drives-purchase-wild-caught-alaska-seafood ASMI Launches New Alaska Seafood Online Marketplace Perishable News - Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Seafood - April 25, 2022 Juneau, Alaska – Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) officially launched the Alaska Seafood Online Marketplace, a new web-based directory designed to connect buyers and suppliers of Alaska seafood around the globe. As the number of seafood purchases taking place online continues to grow, the new Marketplace provides opportunities for all Alaska seafood businesses to showcase their products to seafood purchasers of all types. https://www.perishablenews.com/seafood/asmi-launches-new-alaska-seafood-online-marketplace/ 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. 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.