Gulf Shrimp Landings Dip Again in October as Domestic Market Holds at Annual Highs
Landings for shrimp caught in the Gulf of Mexico in October fell to at least a six-year-low for this particular month in a sign that fourth quarter inventories are not likely to improve for Gulf product in 2016. October landings contribute to a disappointing season for Gulf shrimp production, at least in terms of volume. Both the spring and fall fishing seasons posted lower volumes compared to 2015 and from the five-year average for the fishery. More limited raw materials out of the Gulf States sparked a bidding war among processors at the docks this year. The result has been higher wholesale prices across the Gulf shrimp complex.
The Oregon commercial crab fishery has a chance of starting on time after all. Or maybe part of the Oregon coast. It's still uncertain heading into the Thanksgiving holiday writes Susan Chambers. The industry and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will discuss recent domoic acid testing results today on a conference call. ODFW cautioned that some areas did have levels above 20 ppm -- below the alert level, but still elevated -- in the Coos Bay and Astoria areas.
In other news, when Ian Smith was named chief executive officer of Clearwater Seafoods, in May 2010, the seafood harvester, processor, and exporter was struggling. However, we run a profile of the company that explains how Smith — a former Fortune 500 executive — pushed to improve the company’s marketing, selling, and distribution efforts, with a particular focus on courting higher-end customers willing to pay more for Canadian seafood.
Meanwhile, an annual update by the McDowell Group shows that the value of Alaska seafood at the docks has dropped seven percent from 2011 through 2015 to $4.3 billion. Salmon was tops for dockside values over the past two years at $541 million, or 29 percent of the value of all Alaska catches; pollock ranked second at $477 million, 26 percent of the value. Pollock is Alaska’s largest fishery by volume at 54 percent.
Finally, Chilean salmon producer Camanchaca announced a plan to build a $5 million salmon processing facility in the Los Rios region at the same time that its existing operations received four-star approval from the Best Aquaculture Practices program. Camanchaca’s new processing facility will be able to produce as much as 5,000 tons of frozen salmon fillets per month. Meanwhile, Camanchaca was awarded four star BAP certification after its Rio Petrohue salmon hatchery achieved BAP approval.
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