Saving Seafood

Alaskan fishermen aren’t the only ones noticing the rise of Atlantic halibut

May 22, 2018 — As prices and demand for Pacific halibut have fallen in Alaska, commercial fishermen say a new Canadian competitor is to blame. Since 2012, Canadian imports of fresh Atlantic halibut have grown roughly 60 percent.

Historically, Atlantic halibut has not competed with its close relative on the West Coast since New England and Canadian fishermen overfished stocks in the late 1880s. But as the catch continues to grow north of the border, fishermen in New England are working towards restarting a fishery in U.S. waters.

That could have a serious impact on Alaska’s halibut industry.

Atlantic halibut seems to have been on the tip of the commercial fishing industry’s tongue in Alaska as imports from Canada continue to carve out a significant slice of the New England fresh halibut market.

Prices on the docks in Alaska have fallen about $2 per pound, and there’s a surplus of halibut in the freezer from last year that isn’t selling.

Read the full story at Alaska Public Media

 

Russia Says Volume of King Crab in Barents Sea May Equal Far East in a Few Years; Cod Catches Drop

May 18, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Russia plans to significantly increase the harvest volume of cod and Kamchatka (King) crab in the Barents Sea during the next several years, according to recent statements of representatives from leading local producers and senior officials of the Russian Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo).

This year, however, the volume of cod catch in the Barents Sea in the Arctic zone of Russia is expected to be the lowest of the last five years due to the lack of productive year classes. This was confirmed by All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) Director, Kirill Kolonchin.

At the same time, according to Kolonchin, and in contrast to cod, the volume of production of Kamchatka crab in the Barents Sea may increase significantly. That increase is primarily due to the corresponding population growth of the stock that has been observed in recent years.

VNIRO experts predict the commercial stock of Kamchatka crab could reach the level of the Far East in the next five to 10 years, Kolonchin said:

“The main share in the catch volume in the Barents Sea is taken by cod [fishermen], the fishing stock of which increased from 1.5 million tons in 2006 to 4.3 million tons in 2013,” Kolonchin said. “However last year it fell to 2.5 million tons. Regulation of its catch in the Barents sea is carried out within the framework of the Joint Russian-Norwegian Fisheries Commission (FNC). For the current year, total allowable catch is set at 782,000, of which 331,000 tons accounts for Russia.”

He specified in 2017 the Russian catch of cod in the Barents Sea amounted to 396,000 tons, while in 2013 it was 432,300 tons. In the coming years, further reduction of cod stocks in the Barents Sea is expected due to the lack of new productive year classes recruiting into the fishery.

At the same time, according to VNIRO data, current Kamchatka crab stocks in the Barents Sea are quite high. Since the beginning of Kamchatka crab fishing in 2004, there have been two peaks in crab numbers: in 2006-07, at about 80,000 tons, and in 2014-17, at about 90,000-100,000 tons. However, in 2010, when the reserves fell significantly, the total allowable catch of Kamchatka crab in the Barents Sea was reduced from 10,400 tons to 4,000 tons. That precautionary measure resulted in the rebound and increase of its commercial stock.

Kolonchin also said that data in 2017 showed the appearance of numerous crab reserves, which should ensure the continued growth of this stock in 2019 onward.

Experts of VNIRO also added that the Barents Sea currently has favorable conditions for the catch of haddock, saithe, black halibut, sea flounder, catfish, capelin and saika. For example, after a two-year ban on capelin in 2016-2017, harvest levels for the current year were recommended at 205,000 tons, 80, 000 tons of which are the set aside for the domestic quota.

This story was originally published on Seafood News, it is republished here with permission.

 

Halibut surplus and competition on East Coast drives dock prices down

May 15, 2018 — Halibut prices have fallen about $2 per pound, and decreasing demand has left plenty sitting in the freezer from last year.

Billy Sullivan owns a small fish-buying operation in Homer, and he said years of historically high prices – about $20 to $30 per pound at your typical supermarket – have driven consumers away from purchasing Pacific halibut.

That begs the question: will Pacific halibut maintain its spot on the menu or be replaced?

“Fish business goes: first you’re on the menu, then you go on the chalk board, then once you go off the chalk board, you’re done,” Sullivan said as he sliced open a rock fish. “Halibut is off the chalkboard right now.”

Consumers are reluctant to buy expensive fillets in grocery stores and restaurants. A new competitor also is taking over a large portion of the market.

“They went and found alternatives to expensive halibut and the East Coast fish fills in,” Sullivan said.

Fishermen cashed in on high prices last year. Fish buyers in Alaska were eager to buy loads of Pacific halibut, Sullivan said.

By the fall, the market seemed to soften as cheaper Atlantic halibut started to swallow up portions of the market on the East Coast.

Read the full story at KTOO

 

North Pacific Fishery Management Council June Agenda

April 26, 2018 — The following was released by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council:   

The Council will meet June 4-11, 2018 at the Best Western Convention Center in Kodiak, Alaska.  The Agenda and Schedule are available, as well as the list of documents for review. Public comments on all agenda items will be accepted until 12 noon (Alaska time) on Friday, June 1, 2018.

Other meeting information follows:

  • Submit and review comments at comments.npfmc.org
  • Public comment deadline is June 1, 2018 at 12 noon (AST)
  • Alaska Airlines discount code: ECMZ244

IFQ Outreach Meeting

The Council will hold a public outreach session concurrent with its June 2018 meeting in Kodiak, Alaska. The session will be Tuesday, June 5, from 5:00-6:30 pm in the Pavilion Room, and will provide an open forum for stakeholders to give insight on the present state of the halibut and sablefish IFQ Program and provide direction for future actions that might be considered by the Council and its IFQ Committee. The Council is particularly seeking input on issues related to entry level opportunities and rural participation in the fishery.

More Information is available here

 

Making a better “hot dog of the sea”

April 24, 2018 — When people think of Alaska seafood, salmon and halibut come to mind. But the state also produces a lesser-known fish product sought after all around the world: surimi, the base for imitation crab.

Now the guy who helped establish surimi in America — more than 30 years ago — is on a mission to improve how it’s made.

Tyre Lanier is a food scientist at at North Carolina State University, where he’s been since the 1970s. He has a background in the science of hot dogs.

So, working on seafood initially was a bit of a stretch for him.

“I started off trying to make hot dogs out of fish believe it or not,” Lanier said. “Then I heard about surimi.”

Or as Lanier refers to it, “the hot dog of sea.”

For thousands of years, surimi seafood has been part of Japanese cuisine. Sometimes referred to as kamaboko, it comes in a variety of flavors and shapes.

Read the full story at Alaska Public Radio

 

Alaska: Salmon harvests, halibut prices take sharp turn down

April 5, 2018 — Alaska is expecting a reduced salmon harvest this year, setting up a trifecta of falling fish revenues for Alaska fishermen, coastal communities and state coffers.

Coming on the heels of an 80 percent crash of cod stocks in the Gulf of Alaska and a 10 percent decline in halibut catches, state fishery managers are projecting a 2018 salmon harvest at 149 million fish, down 34 percent from last season.

The shortfall stems from lower forecasts for returning pink salmon. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting a humpie harvest of just 70 million fish, down by more than half from last summer.

For sockeye salmon, a statewide catch of about 52 million is down 1.8 million fish from 2017, which was the fifth-largest red salmon harvest since 1970.

By far, most of the sockeyes will come from Bristol Bay’s nine river systems where a projected harvest of 37.5 million would be down by more than a million, but still well above the 10- and 20-year averages for the Bay.

Alaska’s chum salmon catch last year of 25 million also was the largest haul since 1970. This year’s statewide catch is expected to produce 21 million chums, down by nearly four million.

Read the full story at the Alaska Journal of Commerce

 

NPFMC plans final action on halibut sport fishing limits, permits

April 5, 2018 — Federal fisheries managers plan final action in April on proposals that would require annual renewal of charter halibut permits and for new restrictions to limit guided sport halibut harvests.

The two issues are scheduled for several hours of discussion and a vote of decision on April 5, during the spring meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Anchorage.

The council’s preliminary preferred alternative for an annual renewal process for charter halibut permits includes a requirement for charter halibut permit holders to renew those permits annually through an application to the Restricted Access Management Program of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Permit holders would have to include on the application their permit number, along with the permit holder’s name, address, phone number, and or email address and the holder’s ownership structure.

During its initial consideration of the permit renewal options last October the Council added another option for consideration that would include a question on the application on the permit holder’s use and leasing behavior. At the time the council neither adopted or rejected that option, leaving it on the table for further consideration.

Read the full story at the Cordova Times

 

Alaska: Halibut faces headwinds as catches drop 10%

March 29, 2018 — Pacific halibut catches for 2018 won’t decline as severely as initially feared, but the fishery faces headwinds from several directions.

Federal fishery managers announced just a few days before the March 24 start of the halibut opener that commercial catches for Alaska will be down 10 percent for a total of 17.5 million pounds.

The industry was on tenterhooks awaiting the catch information, which typically is announced by the International Pacific Halibut Commission in late January. However, representatives from the U.S. and Canada could not agree on how to apportion the halibut catches in fishing regions that stretch from the west coast and British Columbia to the Bering Sea.

“The Canadians felt there was justification in the survey and commercial fishery data that, in concert with a long-held position that the IPHC’s apportionment scheme was not accurate, supported a higher catch limit. They were also opposed to the slow pace the U.S. has taken in reducing its bycatch of halibut in the Bering Sea,” said Peggy Parker of Seafoodnews.com.

The impasse put the decision in the laps of federal managers at NOAA Fisheries in Washington, D.C., who were pushed to the wire to get the halibut catch limits and regulations on the rule books in time for the fishery start.

Read the full story at the Alaska Journal of Commerce

 

Alaska: Decline in Pacific halibut fishery not as severe as feared

March 26, 2018 — Pacific halibut catches for 2018 won’t decline as severely as initially feared, but the fishery faces headwinds from several directions.

Federal fishery managers announced just a few days before the March 24 start of the halibut opener that commercial catches for Alaska will be down 10 percent for a total of 17.5 million pounds.

The industry was on tenterhooks awaiting the catch information, which typically is announced by the International Pacific Halibut Commission in late January. However, representatives from the U.S. and Canada could not agree on how to apportion the halibut catches in fishing regions that stretch from the West Coast and British Columbia to the Bering Sea.

“The Canadians felt there was justification in the survey and commercial fishery data that, in concert with a long-held position that the IPHC’s apportionment scheme was not accurate, supported a higher catch limit. They were also opposed to the slow pace the U.S. has taken in reducing its bycatch of halibut in the Bering Sea,” said Peggy Parker of Seafoodnews.com.

The impasse put the decision in the laps of federal managers at NOAA Fisheries in Washington, D.C., who were pushed to the wire to get the halibut catch limits and regulations on the rule books in time for the fishery start.

Adding to the halibut drama are reports of hefty holdovers of fish in freezers, and competition again from Atlantic halibut from eastern Canada.

Prices for Alaska halibut are typically very high for the season’s first deliveries and then decrease after a few weeks. Last year they started out topping $7 per pound to fishermen at major ports. Prices remained in the $5-$6 range for the duration of the eight-month fishery, prompting a push-back from buyers who complained of “price fatigue” and switched their sourcing to less-expensive Atlantic fish.

How that scenario plays out this year remains to be seen, but the combination of fish inventories and availability from elsewhere will likely provide a downward push on Alaska halibut prices.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

 

Researcher testing devices to measure, identify halibut bycatch

March 23, 2018 — A researcher is developing a device that could help make monitoring halibut bycatch more efficient.

Craig Rose from FishNext Research is in town for Kodiak’s fisheries trade show, ComFish, and will talk about the ongoing project: a chute camera and its accompanying software.

“You slide fish through and it automatically triggers a picture, sends that to a computer that then analyzes that image,” he said. “Our main use has been to –as a primary test issue – is to put it for measuring halibut bycatch from trawlers.”

Rose said the device identifies and measures halibut one by one.

He explains a few years ago the North Pacific Fishery Management Council was considering implementing individual quotas for Gulf of Alaska trawlers.

That didn’t become a reality, and he says the chute camera is unlikely to see much use in Kodiak.

But the camera chute could be helpful in other areas.

He said they may apply the device to Bering Sea catcher-processors with individual quotas.

It would help automate the deck sorting process when observers can’t be there to monitor it.

Read the full story at KTOO