Interest in longline Pacific cod from Alaska is growing quickly in the U.S. domestic market, with increasing demand for higher-quality fish coming from restaurants, foodservice, and retailers.
Traditionally, the bulk of frozen Alaska cod has found its way to markets in Europe and Asia, but there has been an uptick in consumption in the United States in recent years.
Blue North Fisheries, among the biggest cod producers in the United States, is emblematic of the shift.
“Looking at the pounds sold from the Blue North fleet of boats, we have increased our domestic sales by 60 percent from 2015 through 2017. With our sales through the second quarter in 2018, we are already at 80 percent of our 2017 sales and I don't see things slowing down,” Blue North Sales Director Bill Weed told SeafoodSource. “I would think the same would go for the other Alaska longline companies.”
Weed said that the shift has not happened overnight. A lack of fresh supply on the U.S. East Coast forced many buyers into the frozen market. People found that longline-caught, frozen-at-sea Alaska cod was consistent and held up well.
“With U.S. retailers requesting more and more fish that is a product of the U.S.A., longline cod from Alaska has been a very reliable option,” Weed said. “The reputation of being a high quality, consistent fish keeps demand high. People know what they are going to get when they buy longline cod from Alaska.”
The “humane harvest” cod caught by the newest boat in Blue North Fisheries’ fleet, the state-of-the-art F/V Blue North, are in especially high demand and are featured by name at Tom Douglas restaurants in Seattle as well as at all Duke’s Chowder House locations.
Meanwhile, companies like Alaskan Leader and Orca Bay Seafoods have also had success with their value-added cod products, getting their products in supermarkets like Publix, Whole Foods, and Safeway.
Amidst all this rosy market news, however, supply has become an issue. The marine heat wave from 2014 through 2016 decimated Pacific cod stocks in the Gulf of Alaska.
In 2018, quotas for Gulf cod were slashed by 80 percent, while on the other side of the Aleutians, Bering Sea quotas dropped 16 percent. This has driven prices up for Pacific cod, and priced some buyers out.
However, recent studies by biologists in the Gulf of Alaska indicate that cod stocks may make a recovery in the coming years. Cod producers, meanwhile, hope they can keep building their domestic relationships.
“The main reason it’s advantageous for Blue North to sell domestically is that we don't have to worry about exchange rates. We value the long-term relationships that have been developed around the world, but it also makes us very happy to see Americans enjoying the high quality fish that Alaska has to offer. That is why I think this trend will continue,” Weed added.
Photo courtesy of Blue North Fisheries
