March 12, 2014 — A new report shows that Bristol Bay produced 31-percent of the world’s commercially caught sockeye salmon last year. That’s down significantly from previous years. The new “Sockeye Market Analysis” report was prepared by the McDowell Group for the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association.
The report shows that global sockeye production declined 17-percent last year down to 290-million pounds. Bristol Bay made up 31-percent of that total, which is down from the 45-percent from 2010 to 2012. The McDowell group notes that prior to 2013, Alaska typically accounted for 70-percent or more of the global sockeye production. Last year Bristol Bay produced 92-million pounds of sockeye. The new report shows that sockeye accounted for just 5-percent of the global salmon production last year. That includes wild and farmed salmon.
The McDowell Group acknowledges that it’s very difficult to discern exactly where Bristol Bay sockeye are sold but they believe that the U.S. domestic market remains the largest market for sockeye products from Alaska. Back in 2012, 44-percent of Alaska’s sockeye went into the domestic market. The 2012 data shows that Japan and the United Kingdom were the 2nd and 3rd largest markets for Alaska’s sockeye products. The market analysis shows that Seattle and Portland had the most sockeye sales per capita. Other cities in the top 10 include Denver, Kansas City, and the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area. Back in 2012, 49-percent of the first wholesale value of Bristol Bay’s sockeye was in the H&G and fillet product forms. Canned salmon accounted for 42-percent of the value. Roe accounted for 6-percent of the value, followed by fresh and smoked products, which each made up 1-percent of the value.
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