Saving Seafood

Alaska’s seafood processors expect to spend more this year than last on the pandemic; seafood market looks promising in some areas

May 17, 2021 — Alaska’s seafood industry has a lot of moving parts. There are the fishermen, the processors, the market, as well as the fish themselves.

By all accounts, the pandemic has been hard on the processors. Last year, they spent about $70 million in mitigation measures and responding to the pandemic. But this year it’s expected to be even more…over $100 million.

In fact, a lot of it has already been spent this year.

“There were challenges and some plant closures that happened despite all these protocols,” Lesh said.

Dan Lesh is with McKinley Research Group that surveyed processors and others in March about the effects of COVID on Alaska’s seafood industry. He says the flat fish industry was hit hard with outbreaks in January causing expensive plant closures. Those costs are in addition to the ongoing price for pandemic mitigation.

“A lot of these costs are already baked and my understanding is that most the mitigation measures will be continued.”

So, basically there are more months this calendar year dealing with the pandemic.

Read the full story at KFSK

USDA Helps Struggling Pacific Seafood Industry With Historic Purchase

May 14, 2021 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a first-time purchase of several West Coast seafood products for its food assistance programs.  The news is being well received by the regional seafood industry.

Over the past year, the nationwide closure of restaurants has caused a 70 percent drop in the seafood market, according to Lori Steele.  She’s executive director for the West Coast Seafood Processors Association, which represents Oregon, Washington, and California.

Now Steele says out of $160 million the USDA is using to buy domestic products, $17 million will go towards seafood commercially harvested on the West Coast.

“The exciting part is they want to purchase all three of the products that we requested:  Pink shrimp, rock fish, and whiting,” adds Steele. “$17 million is a really great start to this relationship.”

Read the full story at KLCC

Direct marketers: These funds are for you

May 14, 2021 — Last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $92.2 million in competitive grant funding through the 2018 Farm Bill’s Local Agriculture Market Program as part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative.

The Local Agriculture Market Program includes $77 million for the Farmers Market Promotion Program and Local Food Promotion Program. What does this mean for the fishing industry? Both grant programs are open to seafood businesses, tribes, NGOs, and fishing associations who are involved in local, regional, and direct seafood marketing and distribution. This injection of funding represents a major opportunity to strengthen the resilience of our nation’s food system and put domestic seafood on our country’s menu in a meaningful way.

The United States is a major producer of seafood. However, an estimated 71 to 90 percent of the seafood we consume is imported. Our reliance on seafood trade makes our seafood economy vulnerable to socioeconomic, political and environmental shocks. No more apparent has this been than during the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. According to NOAA Fisheries, landings were down by an astonishing 29 percent during the first seven months of the pandemic in the United States. This affects everyone from the fishing crews to captains, dealers, processors, and shoreside communities.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

As sushi buyers come back, Gulf of Mexico yellowfin producers foresee a good season ahead

May 14, 2021 — A series of strong storms roiling the Gulf of Mexico this winter and early spring – coupled with a slow reopening from COVID-19-related restrictions – has dampened yellowfin tuna production in the Southeast U.S., with boat prices hovering at about the same levels as this time last year.

David Maginnis, who runs Jensen Tuna in Houma, Louisiana – the gulf’s largest yellowfin producer – said boat prices for the premium quality No. 1 tuna average USD 6.50 (EUR 5.43) per pound, while the No. 2 fish are about USD 3.50 (EUR 2.87). According to the latest landings data provided by NMFS, fishermen have harvested 30.7 metric tons (67,584 pounds) between 1 January and 28 February — way down from the same period in 2020 when 76.7 metric tons (169,137 pounds) were harvested.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

USDA to Purchase $159.4 Million in Nutritious Consumer-Ready Seafood and More for Food Assistance Programs

May 14, 2021 — The following was released by the United States Department of Agriculture:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it will purchase up to $159.4 million in domestically produced seafood, fruits, legumes, and nuts for distribution to a variety of domestic food assistance programs, including charitable institutions. These purchases are being made utilizing funds under the authority of Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (Pub. L. 74-320), as amended (Section 32). This is one of many actions USDA is taking to address the disruptions in the food system supply chain and worsened food insecurity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The impacts of COVID-19 reverberated from our farms to our oceans,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “U.S. fisheries and the American seafood industry were dealt a heavy blow. Today, USDA is pleased to make the largest single seafood purchase in the Department’s history. These healthy, nutritious food purchases will benefit food banks and non-profits helping those struggling with food hardship as the Biden Administration works to get the economy back on track for American families.”

Selected commodities include: Alaska pollock, apricots (canned, dried, and frozen), chickpeas, dry peas, Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic wild-caught shrimp, lentils, navy beans, Pacific pink shrimp, Pacific rockfish fillets, Pacific whiting fillets, pistachios, prepared peaches, and sockeye (red) salmon. The inventories of these commodities are in high oversupply due to a decrease in demand because of the COVID-19 pandemic and disruption in the supply chain, as restaurants and other outlets closed during the pandemic. This is the largest purchase of U.S. raised seafood by the USDA to date.

Within a few days of approval, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service will offer these commodities to their networks. Orders should be received during the first week of June with solicitations being issued mid-June and awards occurring near the end of the month. Deliveries should start to occur by mid-August.

Solicitations will be available electronically through the Web-Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM) system and on the Agricultural Marketing Service’s website at www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food. To be eligible to submit offers, potential contractors must meet the AMS vendor qualification requirements and be domestic operations.

Read the full release here

Alaska’s Fisheries Committee Gets Seafood Market Report from ASMI in Last Days of Session

May 13, 2021 — Alaska’s House Fisheries Committee had the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) slated for a marketing update last Tuesday, but the meeting — and the presentation — were cancelled. As it was, committee members got a copy of the presentation, which brings the state up to date on Alaska’s seafood marketing activities and impacts of COVID-19 on the seafood sector.

The full presentation is still available on the House Fisheries Committee website. It gives a snapshot of ASMI’s structure, mission, funding sources, recent consumer research results, and the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Pacific Seafood launching value-added products for Amazon Go

May 11, 2021 — Now that COVID-19 outbreaks are under control at Pacific Seafood, the supplier is turning its attention to launching unique value-added seafood items with partners such as Amazon and Pac-12 university football and basketball.

In March, the Clackamas, Oregon-based company’s processing plant in Warrenton, Oregon, U.S.A had its third outbreak of COVID-19 in the past year. Last September, nearly 100 of Pacific’s employees at its Warrenton facility tested positive for COVID-19, four months after more than 130 employees tested positive for the coronavirus among its five plants in the area.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Restaurants struggling in the US despite government aid

May 10, 2021 — Increased funding by the United States government for the struggling restaurant industry has begun to help, but many restaurants are continuing to struggle both financially and with labor shortages.

The latest seafood restaurant bankruptcy filings include The Lost Cajun Enterprises, the franchising arm of The Lost Cajun; The Crabcake Factory in Ocean City, Maryland; and Casa Bonita in Denver, Colorado.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NEW JERSEY: Bill Excusing Commercial Fishermen from State Unemployment Tax Advances

May 7, 2021 — Current unemployment law has New Jersey’s commercial fishermen on the hook, and Sen. Michael Testa’s (R-1st) legislation advanced May 6 by the Senate Labor Committee would cut them loose. 

According to a release, the bill, S-3501, would exempt commercial fishermen who are paid on the percentage of fish caught or a percentage of the selling price of those fish from the state unemployment law and its costly tax on earnings. 

“This bill will be a big help for New Jersey fisheries, an industry that has been hit hard by the pandemic, and one that the state’s economy depends on,” stated Testa. “It will allow hard-working, skilled fisherman to keep more of their hard-earned income, a change that suits the independent nature of the proud individuals who make their living at sea.” 

Read the full story at the Cape May County Herald

Santa Monica Seafood to make acquisitions this year after sales uptick

May 7, 2021 — Santa Monica Seafood suffered tremendous losses at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – similar to other distributors and processors that primarily relied on the foodservice channel. But the tide has turned in the past year, according to Santa Monica Seafood President and CEO Roger O’Brien.

Due to restaurant closures beginning last March, the Rancho Dominguez, California, U.S.A.-based company saw some of its foodservice customers unable to pay its bills. Others shifted  from 30-day payments to paying 60 days out from delivery. Santa Monica was forced to lay off around 25 workers, but kept on more than 750 employees, according to O’Brien.

Read the full story at Seafood Source