Lower Priced Salmon is Driving Overall Seafood Sales at the Retail Level
Research from the Nielsen Perishable Group shows salmon made up over 15 percent of seafood category sales at the retail level in the last year. Overall salmon sales volumes are up 14 percent in the 52 weeks ending in January this year compared to 2015 figures. It appears lower priced salmon is driving the uptick in sales volumes with average prices down over 6 percent from last year. Salmon was the top seller of 16 finfish varieties, and more than doubled the combined sales of tilapia and catfish, the second and third highest selling finfish varieties.
Kodiak Processors will talk today about the huge impact the wrong groundfish rationalization plan in the Gulf of Alaska would have on the Kodiak Economy. At issue is the Council's decision to withdraw "Amendment 2" supported by the previous Alaska governor's administration, and substitute "Amendment 3" to resolve the issue of bycatch and fish management in the Gulf of Alaska without ending the open fishery or the race for fish.
In other news smoked salmon consumption in Europe rebounded in 2015. It appears the marketing and promotion of premium, more expensive smoked salmon brands, including the growth in Alaska and organic labels, helped sales.
Meanwhile, the Marine Stewardship Council's latest study found that 99.6 percent of the 256 items it sampled were in fact the fish claimed on the label. However, none of the problem species known for fish fraud like snappers, pangasius and esolar were tested. The report shows that the MSC chain of custody is working well, but it is less convincing in the argument about using the MSC to fight fish fraud writes John Sackton. "That is why on the traceability front, more robust technical solutions are likely to be taken up in the seafood supply chain that operate quite independently of the MSC" Sackton said.
Finally, more scientific research is needed to understand the perceived threat of escaped farmed cobia in Pacific waters around Central and South America according to Professor Daniel Benetti, the Director of Aquaculture at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. "The occurrence of a couple of cobia individuals in the Eastern Pacific Ocean is an interesting development that deserves attention, continuous monitoring and further investigation," Benetti said.
To Read Full Story Login Below.