Gov. Sean Parnell has asked a federal agency to buy about 1 million cases of canned pink salmon to ease a glut that has weighed down prices for Alaska fishermen this year.
Parnell made the request in a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this week. He wants the USDA to purchase USD 37 million (EUR 27.5 million) worth of canned pink salmon under a federal law that allows for buying surplus food from farmers and donating it to food banks or other programs.
USDA purchased USD 20 million (EUR 14.9 million) worth of salmon earlier this year, which Parnell called an important first step in reducing inventories to help slow a price decline that he said threatened the 2014 fishing season.
