USDA Eyeing Bids on Alaska Pollock, Salmon Products

The USDA is looking for offers to sell salmon and pollock products for use in the National School Lunch Program and other Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs.

The Department is looking for just shy of 2 million pounds of Alaska pollock fillets and fish sticks. Acceptances will be announced by midnight, December 11, 2020 and deliveries will be made between March 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021.

Find the Alaska pollock solicitation here.

The USDA is also eyeing bids for 208,240 cases of canned pink salmon...

Alaska Fishing Updates For November 2020

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Lots of fishing continues across Alaska.

A preliminary wrap up of Alaska’s 2020 salmon fishery shows that communities will be hurting in terms of fish tax revenues this coming year. The value of salmon landings is down by half or much more in every region of Alaska, compared to 2019.

The total Alaska catch of just under 117 million salmon was down 44%  and the value that barely topped $295 million was a 56% decrease, when adjusting for inflation the lowest value since 2006... 

Russian RRPK Will Continue to Use MSC Certificate  

Russian leading fish producer and processor Russian Fishery Company (RRPK) has confirmed the introduction of restrictive measures by the Primorsky Arbitration Court on the company’s claim for its expulsion from the domestic Pollock Producers’ Association.  

As the company has clarified in an exclusive interview, the court's restrictive measures suspended, or temporarily freezed, the decision of the Association to exclude RRPK from the list of its members with all the consequences that come with it, such as the loss of the MSC certificate for the sales of its pollock...

New Study: Bering Sea Pollock Moving Between Russian and U.S. Waters More Frequently

While scientists have seen a northward shift in pollock distribution in the Bering Sea for several years now, NOAA Fisheries Oceanographer Lisa Eisner said this research is unique. The new study is called "Environmental impacts on walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) distribution across the Bering Sea shelf" and was published this month in ScienceDirect.

“…[T]his is the first time we have been able to work together with Russian scientists to confirm both the northward shift and the long suspected movement of fish between the U.S. and Russia,” ...

Russia Hopes to Compensate Unsuccessful Salmon Fishing Season by Increase of Pollock Catch This Year

Russia hopes to compensate the unsuccessful salmon fishing season this year with the increase of production of ivasi sardine, mackerel and pollock, according to recent statements made by the head of the Russian Federal Agency for Fishery (Rosrybolovstvo), Ilya Shestakov, during his recent meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin.  

During the meeting, which was dedicated to the situation in the domestic fishing sector, Shestakov said despite the pandemic, the current situation in the industry remains stable...

ANALYSIS: Pollock Block Seeing Record Prices Amid Supply Issues

Processed pollock fish blocks are seeing record high pricing leading into Q4 of 2020.  The Alaskan pollock B season, which runs from June 10 through October 31, 2020, has been met with its fair share of challenges. Changing fishing patterns include smaller, younger fish classes into the fishery, fish moving farther into FAO 61 area, as well as the pollock not traveling in tightly knit schools have all been factors in production slowdowns and supply issues. With less than a month...

RRPK Continue Fight With Russian Pollock Association  

Russian leading fish producer and processor RRPK is continuing its struggle with the local industry association, the Russian Pollock Association (ADM). The company was recently expelled from the list of its members, which could create some problems for them in regard to their MSC certification.         

As part of this, the company has recently sent an appeal to the arbitration court of the Primorsky Territory to challenge the decision of the ADM’s management.  

As Savely Karpukhin, an adviser to the general director of the RRPK on strategy, said in an interview with...

China Puts Pressure on Russian Pollock Producers 

China is putting pressure on the Russian pollock producers by restricting their supplies to the local market due to the detection of COVID-19 on the packaging of fish imports from Russia, according to recent statements, made by some leading Russian fish producers and local analysts in the field of fish business.  

According to Konstantin Savenkov, deputy head of the Russian veterinary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor, so far the service has received several official notifications from China about traces of coronavirus infection on the packages of fish products supplied from Russia...

RRPK Has No Concerns Regarding Expulsion of Association of Pollock Producers

Russian Fishery (RRPK), one of the country’s largest fish producers and processors, has confirmed its plans to apply to the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) and other law enforcement agencies in Russia to protect rights, which were damaged after its expulsion from the local Association of Pollock Producers (ADM).   

As the company said in an exclusive statement, "It currently continues preparations of appropriate appeals, that will be sent to relevant Russian state bodies shortly."

RRPK has also said that it does not depend on ADM in its work...

Fishing Sector of Russian Kamchatka on Verge of Big Changes 

The fishing sector of the Russian Kamchatka is on the verge of big changes, which is mainly due to the recently announced plans of its newly elected governor Vladimir Solodov to create conditions for a significant increase of its output and the overall weight in the country’s fishing industry.  

As Solodov said in an interview with the Russian Expert business paper, as of now the Kamchatka territory accounts for almost a third of the total fish and seafood output in Russia and there is a high possibility these figures will...

USDA Eyeing Purchase of U.S. Shrimp, Alaska Pollock

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is yet again looking for offers to sell seafood, including wild shrimp and Alaska pollock.

The USDA is looking for bids on 318,600 containers of frozen peeled and deveined shrimp, packed in two-pound packages. Ten two-pound packages were packed in a 20-pound shipping container. Frozen block (bulk) shrimp shall be packed in a 5-pound primary package. Four 5-pound primary packages shall be packed in a 20-pound (net weight) shipping container, the USDA explained...

Chinese Pollock Importers Losing Positions in Russia

Imports of Chinese pollock products to Russia are steadily declining due to the growth of the share of domestic producers, according to a recent report published by the Russian news agency Ria Novosti, citing sources in the Russian Association of Pollock Producers.  

According to data of the Association, the biggest decline is currently observed in the case of pollock fillets, which are supplied to Russia from China, and the volume of which imports to the Russian market has declined by almost three times in recent years...  

Japan's Seafood Imports Fell 14% to 169,605 Tons in July

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance on August 28, the quantity of seafood imports (seafood and its preparations, fish meal, and seaweed) in July was 169,605 tons, down 14% from the same month of the previous year. It exceeded the same month last year in June but fell below again. Fresh and frozen shrimp increased by 7% to 15,506 tons, and fresh and frozen salmon and trout increased by 7% to 13,457 tons, but fresh and frozen tuna decreased by...

Russia Hopes for Increased Pollock Catch During Forthcoming Fishing Season  

Leading Russian pollock producers are preparing for a new fishing season this year, which is scheduled for October-December, according to recent statements, made by representatives of producers and some local analysts in the field of fishing.  

Traditionally, the majority of the planned catch will account for the Okhotsk and Bering seas, which are historical centers of pollock catch in Russia.  

As Evgeny Ovsyannikov, Head of the Pollock and Herring Laboratory of the Pacific Fisheries Research Center (TINRO), one of Russia’s largest centers in the field of fisheries...

Russian Pollock Association Forecasts 10% Boost in Catch 

The Russian pollock catch this year may be by at least 10% higher the figures of 2019, mainly due to the planned increase of production in the Bering Sea.

Such forecasts have been recently made by the experts of the Russian Pollock Association in an interview with Russian media.

The increase of catch will be primarily due to favorable fishing conditions in the Bering Sea this year and the migration of pollock from US waters to the Navarino region of the Russian part of the Bering Sea...

H1 Pollock and Atka Mackerel Landings Over 100,000 Tons in Hokkaido, Price Down Due to COVID 19

According to the summary of Hokkaido Kisen Ren, the landing of offshore trawlers in Hokkaido in the first half of 2020 (January-June) increased by 33% from the same period of the previous year to 101,230 tons due to the growth of both main fish species, Alaska Pollock and Atka Mackerel. It is the first time in eight years since the landings exceeded 100,000 tons in the first six months.

On the other hand, landed prices were weak for both...

New Study on Surimi Finds Consumers Not Put Off By “Imitation” Labels

Don’t fear the “imitation” label!

A study recently conducted by C&R research, a full-service custom consumer research firm, has found that consumers are not put off by the “imitation” labels found on surimi seafood products in the U.S. market. In addition, the study found that consumers seeing information about surimi seafood’s origin - Wild Alaska Pollock - was a “huge bonus.”

“This research puts the exclamation point on the notion that there is an incredible opportunity for Wild Alaska Pollock surimi seafood to tell its story loud...

JAPAN: September Imports of Seafood Decreased by 11%, Value Decreased By 14%

According to the preliminary trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance on October 19, the quantity of seafood imports in September decreased by 10.6% from the same month of the previous year to 143,857 tons. The amount decreased by 14.2% to 104,409 million yen ($1,010.1 million). In each country/region excluding the European Union (EU), the amount decreased from the previous year, of which the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United States, Russia, etc. showed double-digit declines, reported Minato Shimbun...

Health Magazine Names Neptune's Wild Alaska Pollock Jerky One of the Best Snacks of 2020

Finally, some good news in 2020 … One for Neptune's Wild Alaska Pollock Fish Jerky has been named one of the best healthy snacks of the year!

"This product deserves this praise and recognition and we couldn't be prouder to partner with Neptune on a new snack made with our amazing Wild Alaska Pollock," said Craig Morris, CEO of the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers. 

Health Magazine's editors tested more than 100 new products and narrowed the competition down to 37 snacks...

GAPP ROI Study Reveals Marketing Impact For Wild Alaska Pollock Fillet, Wild Alaska Pollock Surimi

A "Return on Investment" study conducted by Dr. Harry Kaiser of Cornell University is shedding some light on the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers' (GAPP) marketing efforts.

According to Dr. Kaiser's study, for each dollar invested by the Wild Alaska Pollock industry into its marketing organization during the past two years, there was a return of $28.04 in Wild Alaska Pollock fillet and Wild Alaska Pollock Surimi revenue back to the industry. This is impressive considering that the study found...

GAPP Awards Funding For Exciting New Wild Alaskan Pollock Products

The Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) is at it again. On Thursday the organization announced that they have awarded nearly $750,000 in funding to seven organizations who are launching exciting new wild Alaskan Pollock products.

Requests for funding were submitted to GAPP and reviewed by the organization's Fillet and Surimi Committees, who made their recommendations to the full GAPP Board of Directors. Despite the ongoing pandemic, GAPP CEO Craig Morris explained that the Board of Directors "felt it imperative to move forward with these...

True North Seafood Partners With Ocean Wise Seafood Program

True North Seafood, the flagship brand of family owned Cooke Inc., announced that they have partnered with the Ocean Wise Seafood program. 

Ocean Wise works with restaurants, markets, food services and seafood suppliers to ensure that they have the most current scientific information regarding sustainable seafood, whether it be farmed or wild. The goal of the program is to help people make ocean-friendly buying decisions. 

True North’s wild caught bay scallops, sea scallops, sockeye salmon, pink salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon, Dungeness crab, Pacific cod, pollock and...

Alaska Fishing Updates for September/October

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – As salmon season ends more fisheries get underway.

Salmon numbers continue to trickle in but the total catch won’t add up to much more than the 113 million fish taken so far. That’s about 85 percent of what state managers expected for the season.

Of that, over 45 million are sockeyes and 58 million are pinks. Landings of about two million cohos are the lowest since the mid-1970s and a 7.5 million chum salmon harvest is the weakest since 1979...

JAPAN: August Marine Products Imports at 148,231 Million Yen, Down 2% From the Previous Year

According to preliminary trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, imports of marine products in August were 148,231 million yen ($1,418 million), down 2% from the same month of the previous year. Quantity decreased by 6%. Frozen salmon and trout, frozen mackerel, and frozen octopus grew, but frozen tuna struggled, reports Minato Shimbun.

Fresh and frozen salmon and trout brought in increased by 24% to nearly 20,000 tons, and the value increased by 29% to 20,698 million yen ($197.90 million)...

Jerky From Alaska Pollock

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch.

Jerky made from Alaska pollock attracted the attention of big backers starting at a buffet table at Fish 2.0, a global gathering of innovators and investors hosted by Stanford University to grow the sustainable seafood sector.

“I knew that they would have to taste it to buy into what we were trying to build. And so I brought about 200 samples and it was literally the first major set of samples that we'd ever made of the product. And the samples disappeared in a matter of minutes...

Russian Fishermen May Face Significant Decline of Catch 

According to recent forecasts, Russian fishermen may face a significant decline of catch due to the overall reduction of fish stock in the domestic territorial waters, a further expansion of the Russian fishing fleet and the generally wasteful nature of fisheries in Russia.

The Pacific Research Fisheries Center (TINRO) estimates that the increase of capacities of the domestic fishing fleet and the decline of fish stock may lead to the reduction of total allowable catch of some fish species by almost two times by 2025, compared to the current figures...

The Winding Glass: Pandemic and Election Could Revitalize Seafood Industry; We Need to Think Big

It could be that the loss of significant sales by the U.S. seafood industry due to the pandemic may provide some real opportunities.

For these to happen we will need the entire country to commit to a huge infrastructure and jobs program, which will only happen if democrats win control of the White House and senate. The pandemic and the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression offers the possibility for large scale recovery programs.

We have published a few stories this month on...

Russia Posts 20% Decline of Crab Exports in First Half of Current Year

Exports of Russian crab in the first half of 2020 fell by almost 20% in volume and by 15% in value terms, which is associated with serious losses for local producers and exporters, according to recent statements made by the President of the All-Russian Association of Fishermen (VARPE) Herman Zverev during the recent press conference.  

In regard of overall fish exports, according to Zverev, in the first half of the current year they amounted to 928,000 tonnes in volume terms and...

Japan Fisheries Agency Increases Alaska Pollock TAC to 65,000 Tons

The Fisheries Agency of Japan approved the increase in the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of pollock for the FY2020 fishing season (April to March 2021) at the 102nd Resource Management Subcommittee of the Fisheries Policy Council held in Tokyo on August 6. In response to a large number of pollock in the Sea of Okhotsk appearing in the Japanese fishing grounds this year, the Agency increased the catch quota for offshore trawling in the waters by 10,000 tons to 64,900 tons...

Russia May Face Significant Decline in Catch of Japanese Squid, Cod, and Pollock Due to North Korean Poachers

Russia may be faced with a significant decline in catch of Japanese squid, cod, pollock and some other fish species due to the ever growing volumes of poaching in its territorial waters in the Far East.   

According to analysts of ZRPRESS, one of Russia’s leading business papers, currently the biggest concerns are related with the activities of fishermen from North Korea and China, whose illegal fishing in the Russian inland waters has significantly increased in recent years...