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...

Kodiak Could See a January 2021 Tanner Crab Fishery 

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Kodiak crabbers could get a winter Tanner fishery.

They are still crunching the numbers from the summer survey, but Kodiak crab biologists believe there could be a small Tanner fishery in January.

“ Some of the preliminary info we're getting suggests that we're going to be potentially above threshold in the east side, Southeast and southwest sections in Kodiak.”

Nat Nichols is area shellfish manager at the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game in Kodiak...

ANALYSIS: Russian Snow Crab Pricing, Market Share Continues to Climb

Russian snow crab imports have been climbing during 2020. Due to overall popularity and demand for snow crab this year, Russian snow crab appears to be filling a much-needed hole in the marketplace.

Overall imports of snow crab, due to the heavy dominance from Canada, follows a cyclical pattern each year. As the start of the Canadian season is in the late spring, an enormous jump in imports is seen during the month of May. June and July are typically higher import months but...

The Winding Glass: Despite Uncertainties, Signs Point to Good Holiday and Lent Season for Seafood

[The Winding Glass is an opinion and commentary column from John Sackton, Founder of Seafood News.]

After seven months of struggling to keep businesses going during the pandemic, it seems we are in a bit of a lull.  No end is in sight, but things are not getting dramatically better either.  The bounce back we experienced both in terms of sales demand and restaurant demand in June and July appears to be fading.

In mid-September, we simply face a huge number of uncertainties...

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...

King Crab Finds Success At Retail

As we move into fall we  find some of the most important king crab fisheries.  The Russian Far East, Barents Sea, and then the Alaska Red king crab seasons.  Russia will be harvesting over 26,000 M/t and supplying the Asia live market as well as the processed markets in Japan, Asia, and the U.S.  The Alaska quota has not yet been set, but will be small in comparison and sell to premium foodservice and retail outlets in Asia and the U.S.

With the closure or curtailment of most food service...

North Carolina Seafood Processor Pleads Guilty to Falsely Labeling $250,000 Worth of Crabmeat

Jeffrey A. Styron of North Carolina has pleaded guilty to charges of directing his company, Garland F. Fulcher Seafood Company, to falsely label hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of foreign crabmeat as "Product of USA."

Garland F. Fulcher Seafoods purchases, processes, packages, transports and sells seafood and seafood products, including crabmeat from domestically harvested blue crab. Styron, the treasurer of the corporate board of officers for Garland Fulcher, was reportedly responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the company's crab-related business...

Alaska Fishing Updates for August 2020

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Some upswings in salmon and updates on more Alaska fisheries.

Good pink salmon catches at Kodiak, Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet contributed the bulk of the nearly 10 million pinks taken over the last week. That’s pushed Alaska’s total salmon catch over the 90 million mark.  That’s about 65% of the 132 million salmon target for 2020.

In other fisheries – Southeast’s summer Dungeness crab fishery will close August 15 after a two month opener. A few million pounds should come out of that fishery. A second opener for shrimp has beam trawlers back out on the water. A lingcod fishery is ongoing in parts of Southeast and Prince William Sound.

Maine Governor Urges Commerce Secretary to Deny Pew Trusts’ Right Whale Petition

Just over a week after Pew Charitable Trusts submitted a petition to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross calling for fishing regulations in New England to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whales from entanglement, Maine’s Governor pushed back against the petition.

As SeafoodNews reported last week, Pew is looking to close areas off of New England to vertical-line fishing gear used by lobstermen and Jonah crab fishermen when right whales are present.

Maine Governor Janet Mills urged Secretary Ross to deny Pew’s petition saying it...

Alaska Stock Surveys a Go

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – All systems are go for state water surveys on stocks of fish and crab.

Coronvirus concerns forced annual surveys to be cancelled for fish and crab stocks in waters managed by the federal government from three to 200 miles offshore.  But all systems are go for surveys in state waters out to three miles.

After herring surveys in late winter, Covid protections plans were quickly put in place, says Forrest Bowers is deputy director of the commercial fisheries division at  the Alaska Dept. of...

Trump Removing Fishing Restrictions in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument

President Donald Trump announced on Friday afternoon that he will be removing fishing restrictions in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, opening up 5,000 square miles in the Atlantic Ocean for fishing. The order to designate that area of the Atlantic Ocean as a national monument was signed by former President Barack Obama during his final few months in office. 

"We're opening it up," said Trump. "Today I'm signing a proclamation to reverse that injustice, to reverse that order from the previous administration....

Russian Crab Industry May Face with Significant Increase of Illegal Catch this Year

The Russian crab industry may face a significant increase in the volume of illegal catch and the reduction of the domestic crab stock in years to come due to the current unfavorable situation in the global market, as well as the reduction of exports of leading Russian crab producers since the beginning of the pandemic.  

As Alexander Saveliev, head of the Russian Information Agency of Fishing, said in an interview with the Russian Kommersant business paper, the current situation in the global crab market remains unfavorable for...

FFAW Submits Price Reconsideration for Snow Crab After Panel Sides With ASP

FFAW-Unifor confirmed on Monday that they have submitted a request to the Newfoundland and Labrador Standing Fish Price Setting Panel to reconsider their May 1 decision on the price for snow crab. The request for reconsideration comes after harvesters protested outside of the FFAW building over the weekend.

The union initially submitted a price offer of $4.25 per lb., plus a market return formula in addition to the minimum price. However, they ultimately ended up submitting a final price of $3.50 per lb. to...

Russia Plans to Increase Exports of High-Added Value Fish Products and Seafood this Year 

Russia plans to increase exports of high-added value fish products and seafood this year, with the aim to compensate losses associated with the reduction of supplies of traditional pollock to the Asian market. 

For this purpose, a particular attention will be paid for a search of alternative sale markets, where sale margins of Russian fish exporters could be higher than those in Asia.  

One of such markets could be the market of the U.S., where since 2013 the supplies of...

Central California Crab Season May 15 Closure Confirmed

Central California Dungeness crabbers have less than a month to make their final hauls to bring in fresh crab. California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham on Wednesday affirmed his earlier proposal to close the season at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 15.

The decision applies only fishing districts south of the Mendocino/Sonoma county border. Bonham said the closure is necessary to protect whales and sea turtles from entanglement in fishing gear.

Bonham's preliminary decision was made using...

Central California Dungeness Crab Season Poised for May 15 Closure

Bay Area Dungeness crab fishermen will likely have only another month to haul up the last of the crab before the season closes. Still, it is 30 days longer than last year's season.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Diredtor Charlton Bonham said Wednesday that, based on recent data, a risk exists for whale entanglement south of the Mendocino/Sonoma County line. That counters the majority consensus of the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group.

On April 9, the Working Group reviewed available data and provided a recommendation...

Everything You Need to Know About the FDA's FSMA Food Traceability Proposed Rule

On Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a proposed rule to establish additional traceability recordkeeping requirements for certain foods. So, what exactly does this mean? We're breaking it down….

The proposed rule is actually titled "Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods," and is a key component of the FDA's New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint. If finalized the proposed rule would "standardize the data elements and information firms must establish and maintain, and the information they would need...

Crabbers Haul Up Best Dungeness Catches in Decades, Prices Sink

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

Crabbers at Southeast Alaska and Kodiak are pulling up good Dungeness catches although prices have sunk. At the Panhandle, a fleet of 192 permit holders hauled up nearly six million pounds of dungies during the summer fishery that ran from June through August 15, one of the highest catches of the decade.  

The average price to fishermen of $1.67 per pound was down from $3.01 last year – still, the summer Dungeness fishery was valued at nearly $10 million...

New Rules Coming for Oregon Crab Fishermen for the 2020-2021 Season

Dungeness crab fishermen will have to comply with new rules designed to reduce the risk of whale entanglements this year.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on Friday adopted measures they hoped will balance out with the economic impacts of Oregon's iconic and important fishery.

The new rules will be effective during the upcoming crab season, which can open Dec. 1, 2020. Starting May 1 each season, the new rules reduce crab pot limits by 20 percent, and restrict gear to inside 40 fathoms...

USDA Providing $530 Million to Support U.S. Commercial Fishermen Impacted by Retaliatory Tariffs

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced on Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide approximately $530 million to support the U.S. seafood industry and fishermen who have been impacted by the retaliatory tariffs from foreign governments.

"Many nations have not played by the rules for a long time, and President Trump is the first President to stand up to them and send a clear message that the United States will no longer tolerate unfair trade practices," said Secretary Perdue...

ANALYSIS: Overall King Crab Imports Down 5.4%; 9-12 Russian Reds at 52-Week High

Through the first seven months of the year king crab imports from Russia, the primary supplier in this category, are down 6 percent year-to-date and overall king crab is down 5.4 percent YTD. However, when taking a look a the breakdown between red and blue king crab out of Russia, Russian red is actually up 19.6 percent YTD while Russian blue crab is down 62.1 percent. In 2019 the breakdown YTD was 8.4 million Russian red versus 4.4 Russian blue...

Bering Sea Crabbers Set to Get the Outlook for 2020/21 Season

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

Bering Sea crabbers will soon know what their catches will – or won’t - be for the upcoming season that opens on October 15.

This month the Crab Plan Team, advisers to federal and state fishery managers, will review the stock assessments and other science for Bristol Bay red king crab, bairdi Tanners and snow crab. The data is used to set the annual Total Allowable Catches, or TACs.

But this year, the Covid virus canceled the summer surveys...

Oregon Department of Agriculture Updates its Brand to Reflect New Dedication

The Oregon Department of Agriculture announced this week it has updated its look with a new brand.

The new design is the result of a redesign effort intended to mirror the growth and transformation of ODA, the department said in a statement. 

The new logo, colors, and tagline -- Protect. Promote. Prosper. -- represent agriculture throughout the state of Oregon and ODA’s commitment to the industry, including its four seafood commodity commissions. The raising yellow sun represents the ...

Pew Submits Petition to Protect Right Whales, Calls for Closing of Fishing Off New England

In a petition submitted to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, Pew Charitable Trusts called for regulations to protect North Atlantic right whales from entanglement in waters off of New England.

Pew said it is in favor of closing areas off of New England to vertical-line fishing gear when right whales are in the area.

“Closing some areas to fishing with the most harmful gear could immediately lower the risk to the whales while the federal government develops longer-term rules..."

ANALYSIS: Canadian Snow Crab Prices Rise with Imports Trailing 3-Year Average

Gulf of St. Lawrence Now Has 22 Season-Long Grid Closures Due to Right Whales

There are currently 22 season-long grid closures in the Gulf of St. Lawrence following multiple North Atlantic right whale sightings.

Following the death of nine North Atlantic right whales in Canadian waters in 2019, Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced that they would be implementing new fisheries management measures in 2020 to protect the endangered whales. The new management measures include season-long grid closures in the Gulf of St. Lawrence if whales are detected...

NOAA Awards Grants to 8 Projects in Greater Atlantic Region Through Saltonstall-Kennedy Program

NOAA Fisheries has awarded more than $8 million in funding to a total of 30 projects through the Saltonstall-Kennedy program. Of those 30 projects, eight are from the Greater Atlantic Region. According to the government agency, the funding for those eight projects totals approximately $2.25 million.

A majority of the projects in the Greater Atlantic Region focus on “Sustainable U.S. Seafood Production and Harvesting. Two projects focusing on sustainable seafood were picked up from...

By the Numbers: Japan’s March Seafood Imports and Exports

The Japanese Ministry of Finance announced March import and export statistics. Marine product imports totaled 114,238.50 million yen ($1,076.54 million), down 12.2% from the same month of the previous year. Import volume increased 4.6% to 176,192 tons. Exports decreased by 9.7% year-on-year to 55,424 tons, and the value decreased by 22.1% to 18,163.91 million yen ($171.16 million).

Imports

The products that exceeded both the quantities and value are shrimp, crab, and octopus. The volume of fresh and...

The Winding Glass: Work Together or Hang Separately, It’s That Simple

Two qualities that gives the seafood industry its unique character are being made up of a multitude of diverse companies of all sizes, and having an immense diversity of species and products.

In the U.S. meat industry, four companies control 84% of beef production, 65% of pork production, 53% of poultry, and one dairy co-op and one processor control 30% and 40% respectively of the national milk supply.

Our companies are not large enough to be dominant in this way. With the exception of a few farmed salmon...

The Winding Glass: Walking the Tightrope of Survival

There is a path through this, but it is like staying on a tightrope, with the slightest mistake causing a disastrous fall. 

The issue is not a decline in price. We have lived with volatility before. The issue is how to adjust to structural changes where some distributors estimate 20% to 40% of their foodservice customers will never reopen, and more and more companies try and put seafood through the retail channel.

The second issue is to avoid outcomes that permanently devalue a product. The poster child for this is lobster...