Exports of seafood from the U.S. state of Alaska to China from January through April 2022 rose modestly compared to 2021, but were lower when compared to 2019 and 2020.
Alaska’s seafood exports in the period climbed to 59,283 metric tons (MT), up from 56,275 MT in 2021. But the 2022 total thus far is down 33 percent from 2020.
Alaska’s sales of frozen flatfish sole to China between January and April rose from 13,609 MT in 2021 to 17,433 MT in 2022, but the 2022 total is down 34 percent from 2020. Shipments of frozen Alaska pollock to China rose from 4,711 MT to 7,261 MT while exports of frozen groundfish Pacific cod rose from 4,564 MT to 5,627 MT.
Dan Lesh, a senior consultant at McKinley Research Group, which provides research and consulting services to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, a seafood trade group representing Alaska’s seafood industry, said some of the changes are attributable in part to lower harvests in recent years or other factors.
“Flatfish was hit with issues getting into Chinese ports as well as lower harvest volumes,” Lesh told SeafoodSource. “I haven’t been hearing about our products not being able to get into Dalian and other Chinese processing ports, but it could be happening.”
Alaska’s exports to China of some species were up from 2020 totals, including frozen pink salmon, exports of which jumped 337 percent from 2020 to 1,364 MT; frozen rockfish, exports of which were up 1,091 percent on 2020 figures to 957 MT; and frozen pollock surimi, which saw its sales volume to China rise 237 percent on 2020 to 1,894 MT.
China committed to buying more American seafood under the Phase One trade deal it signed with the U.S. in January 2020, but has not yet reached the purchase totals it committed to under the agreement.
Photo courtesy of Jiri Kulisek/Shutterstock
