A spotty season didn’t slow demand for wild Pacific albacore this year.
The season started later than usual and was slowly winding down in mid-October.
Oceanic conditions that included deep feed layers kept fish from the surface combined with weather factors to delay the season, and not just in the United States. Both Japan and the Bay of Biscay off Spain and France saw late starts to their seasons, according to Wayne Heikkila, executive director of the Western Fishboat Owners Association.
Heikkila estimated that total tonnage for the year will be at about 10,000, down from the 10-year average of 12,000 tons.
However, despite effort being down, prices were up. Ex-vessel prices were higher than they ever have been, 40 percent to 100 percent higher than last year, especially on higher-grade quality albacore for the sashimi and retail markets, said Heikkila.
Brine-frozen albacore without bleeding were getting USD 1,700 to USD 2,200 per ton in 2010, but increased to USD 2,900 this year. Blast-frozen, bled albacore were selling for USD 4,500 to USD 5,300 per ton, up from USD 2,5000 to USD 3,000 per ton last year.
“Lack of fish worldwide, a low U.S. dollar and more demand in Japan due to the earthquake and tsunami putting a damper on their production all together led to higher prices,” said Heikkila.
