After coping with two years of quota cuts, the pollock industry is hoping to regain some ground with improved harvest levels in 2011.
Although a quota won’t be set until late in the year, Marc Wells, president of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers and VP-sales for Arctic Storm Management Group in Seattle, says the smaller fish in this year’s catch are a good indication that there’s a large and healthy biomass in the Bering Sea.
“Fishing took a little longer this year,” he says, in large part because fishermen were avoiding the smaller fish. Prices settled to a reasonable level over last year, with fillet blocks selling for $3,800 to $3,900 per ton, and minced around $2,300 per ton, says Wells.
Both Wells and GAPP Program Director Pat Shanahan say it's too soon to speculate on next year’s quota, “but federal scientists report their surveys appear good and [the quota] should be up,” notes Shanahan.
She adds that pollock is one of the most studied seafood species and is considered a model fishery when it comes to sustainability. That’s important in the United States, but especially significant among European buyers, says Wells, where most manufacturers have sustainability guidelines in place.
To read the rest of the feature on pollock and surimi, click here. Written by SeaFood Business Contributing Editor Joanne Friedrick, the story appeared in the December issue of SeaFood Business magazine.
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