With a lot more Alaska pollock to fill trawlers’ nets this winter, Pacific Northwest whitefish suppliers are focused on bolstering demand both in the United States and abroad after a few years of getting by with less.
Back in December, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council set the 2011 total allowable catch for Bering Sea pollock at 1.25 million metric tons, up 54 percent from 2010. Federal scientists the previous month reported that the Bering Sea pollock biomass had rebounded significantly, and the council listened.
That’s good news, because the 2010 quota of 813,000 metric tons was the lowest in 32 years. The fishery had yielded about twice that, or 1.5 million metric tons annually, between 2002 and 2006.
But according to one Seattle-based supplier, market demand has greater influence on Alaska pollock prices than supply, or lack thereof.
“It’s good. It needs to strengthen. Our focus is building market share for pollock, in all product forms: surimi, blocks, shatterpacks, IQF,” said the supplier. “Global demand is something we’re constantly looking for.”
To that end, foreign interest in Alaska pollock appears to be on the upswing. Through October, U.S. pollock exports (both Atlantic and Pacific) totaled 105,000 metric tons, an increase of 15.8 percent compared to the same period in 2009, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The European Union is a key market for pollock, including roe: Frozen fillet exports to Germany, where whitefish popularity is soaring, jumped 23 percent to 33,883 metric tons.
While noting that domestic demand for Alaska pollock is “as strong as it’s ever been,” the supplier added that the species is penetrating “surprising” markets like South America and Mexico. Exports to South Korea, for example, nearly tripled last year to more than 15 million pounds through October.
While Alaska pollock prices have not returned to the historic highs of the mid-1990s, they probably won’t drop much further. As boats in Seattle were gearing up for fishing in late January, pollock prices were firming up, said the supplier.
In early January, skinless, boneless FAS shatterpacks for all fillet sizes were priced in the low- to mid USD 2 range. Twice-frozen IQF packs were trading for USD 1 less per pound.
