Alaska/Pacific Coast Commercial fisheries report: Alaska salmon reigns as the top finfish in the nation National Fishermen by Jessica Hathaway - February 24, 2020 According to NOAA’s annual report on commercial fisheries landings, production and value, the top five species in order of value are: https://www.nationalfisherman.com/national-international/commercial-fisheries-report-alaska-salmon-reigns-as-the-top-finfish-in-the-nation/ Fisheries of the U.S. 2018 Report: Alaska Leads Nation in Landings Once Again SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - February 25, 2020 Fisheries of the United States 2018 -- the go-to publication for fish wonks everywhere -- was released last Friday, four months later than the usual September date, with the encouraging news that Americans’ per capita consumption of seafood rose to 16.01 pounds in 2018. FUS 2018 is a data trove, covering everything from per port landings to export and import trends, aquaculture production to changes in the recreational fishing landings. It also provides facts for the friendly competition among geographic regions for highest contribution to the U.S. economy. Dutch Harbor and New Bedford have for decades held the top spots for volume and value. New England’s valuable lobster and scallops compete annually with Alaska’s crab and salmon. But on volume alone, Alaska outranks all regions. It accounts for 58% of all landings in the U.S. and has the Bering Sea -- home to the world’s most sustainable groundfish complex, much of which is landed and processed at sea. These at-sea processed fishery products, on a round (live) weight basis, totaled 1.5 million metric tons (mmt) in 2018 and made up 36 percent of the total domestic landings in the 50 states. This figure is lower than 2017’s 1.6 mmt, which was, ironically, a slightly smaller share of total domestic landings at 35%. For the 22nd year in a row, Dutch Harbor posted the highest volume of landings at 763 million pounds of pollock, cod, flatfish, and crab. The nation’s second highest port by volume was Empire-Venice, LA where 40 percent of the nation's domestic shrimp and 36 percent of the U.S. oyster production is landed. The Aleutian Islands, a thousand-mile archepelago, got third place in the volume of landings, due in part to Trident Seafood’s Akutan plant, the largest in North America and with a processing capacity of more than three million pounds per day. Alaska led all states in volume with landings of 5.4 billion pounds, and led all states in value of landings with $1.8 billion. Naknek and Dutch Harbor followed first-place New Bedford, MA in values landed at individual ports -- Naknek for Bristol Bay sockeye salmon and Dutch Harbor for Bering Sea groundfish and shellfish. The nation’s top ten landings are led, once again, by Alaska pollock at 3.4 billion pounds. In fourth place on that list is Alaska’s salmon, 556.8 mlbs valued at $553.5 million—a decrease of 429.1 million pounds (44%) and $92.2 million (14%) compared with 2017. Landings of Alaska pollock decreased from 2017 but were 132.9 mlbs over their 2013-2017 5-year average. Landings of Pacific cod were 512.7 mlb — a decrease of 22 percent from 657.3 million in 2017, reflecting the significant decline in the Gulf of Alaska. U.S. commercial landings of salmon were 576 mlbs valued at $598.1 million—a decrease of 432.2 mlbs (43%) and $89.7 million (13%) compared with 2017. Alaska accounted for 97 percent of total landings. Sockeye salmon landings were 265.3 mlbs valued at $351.5 million—a decrease of 26.3 mlbs (9%) but an increase of $27.8 million (9%) compared with 2017. Chinook salmon landings decreased to 7.2 mlbs, down 1.8 mlbs (20%) from 2017. Pink salmon landings were 135.8 mlbs in 2018, a decrease of 359.5 mlbs (73%) in 2017; chum salmon landings were 138.8 mlbs, a decrease of 38.4 mlbs (22%); and coho salmon dropped to 28.9 mlbs—down 6.3 mlbs (18%) compared with 2017. U.S. landings of Atlantic and Pacific halibut were 21.9 mlbs (round weight) valued at $89.3 million—a decrease of 4.5 mlbs (17%) and $36.5 million (29%) compared with 2017. The Pacific fishery, more than 90 of which is landed in Alaska, accounted for all but 153,000 pounds of the 2018 total halibut catch. A big increase in the country’s recreational landings happened after 2014, when a relatively small 392 million fish were landed on an estimated 68 million fishing trips. The harvest (mortality) was estimated at 155 million fish weighing 186 million pounds. By 2017 that number had increased to “an estimated 1 billion fish taken on an estimated 202 million fishing trips (Alaska trip data not available for 2017). The harvest (fish kept or released dead) was estimated at 397 million fish weighing 447 million pounds.” The 2018 recreational catch dropped to “an estimated 956 million fish taken on an estimated 194 million fishing trips (Alaska trip data not available for 2018). The harvest (fish kept or released dead) was estimated at 347 million fish weighing 359 million pounds.” The next NOAA Fisheries report will be the Status of Stocks, an annual report to Congress, published each spring. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1164884/Fisheries-of-the-US-2018-Report-Alaska-Leads-Nation-in-Landings-Once-Again Labeling and Marketing Wild Alaska Pollock processors reaching for new markets Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - February 25, 2020 Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers, in an ongoing effort to expand markets for Alaska Pollock, have collaborated with several dozen Seattle restaurants to present the first ever Wild Alaska Pollock Week from Feb. 28 through March 8. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2020/02/25/wild-alaska-pollock-processors-reaching-for-new-markets/ Alaska Seafood Marketing Update Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute - February 2020 Wild Alaska Pollock Week , Hannah Lindoff promoted to Senior Director of Global Marketing & Strategy, Photo and Video Asset Survey, 2020 Commercial Fishing Photo Contest, Events... https://myemail.constantcontact.com/ASMI-Update-Feb--2020---Promotion--Digital-Asset-Survey--Wild-Alaska-Pollock-Week--Next-Generation-Trade-Mission.html?soid=1101064654189&aid=SFOe3vNFBY0 ANALYSIS: Salmon, Cod and Tilapia the All-Stars at Retail During Lent Urner Barry by Janice Schreiber - February 26, 2020 With the beginning of Lent today, many Christians will start to follow church guidelines to abstain from meat and will look to seafood as an alternative. Seafood is historically an extremely popular item during the Lenten season before Easter, and salmon is one of the highlights. Each year, the number of buying opportunities at retail rises for the week of Ash Wednesday. This year, even with headwinds from the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in certain regions of the world, is shaping up to be no different. Salmon saw a bump of 14 percent in the number of buying opportunities across the country this week as compared to last week. The average price for Atlantics looks to be $8.47 for the week. 2019 saw a similar scenario, a 13.7 percent jump from the week prior to Ash Wednesday with an average price of $8.59 for the week; making 2020 $0.12 lower than 2019.
In 2018, the jump was actually 34 percent. That year however, Ash Wednesday was coupled with Valentine’s Day; both fell on the same day of the week. In 2018, the average price for that week in retail was $8.62. Looking at cod, both single and double frozen fillets have... Be the first to gain access to analysis pieces from UrnerBarry market reporters. Subscribe to UrnerBarry's Comtell today. Read the analysis on Comtell here. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1164963/ANALYSIS-Salmon-Cod-and-Tilapia-the-All-Stars-at-Retail-During-Lent
Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pollock in Statistical Area 630 in the Gulf of Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 02/26/2020 NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 630 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2020 total allowable catch of pollock for Statistical Area 630 in the GOA. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/02/26/2020-03873/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-pollock-in-statistical-area-630-in-the-gulf-of
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