ANALYSIS: 2024 Alaska Pollock ‘A’ Season Wraps Ahead of Seafood Expo Global

As the "A" Season for Alaska Pollock wraps up, this year's harvest data from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region reveals nuanced dynamics in the fisheries sector.

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) data, the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for Bering Sea pollock in 2024 remained consistent with the previous year at 1,300,000 metric tons. Despite the static TAC, landings during the "A" season of 2024, currently available through the first week of April, totaled 533,633 metric tons, showing a modest decline from...

American Seafoods Releases Annual Sustainability Report 

Seattle-based American Seafoods Group is the first of the pollock fleet to release its 2024 annual sustainability report. The report details the company’s  continued advancement of its environmental and social responsibility efforts as it innovates and sustainably harvests the world’s best-managed fisheries.

The 2023 Sustainability Report highlights the different ways American Seafoods practices sustainability operating and harvesting techniques throughout the year 2023, including:

- Maintained 100% third-party eco-certification for all American Seafoods catch
- Achieved a 99% target catch rate in the Alaska pollock fishery, which is nearly a...

USDA Issues Open Purchase Request For 5.7 Million Pounds of Alaska Pollock Nuggets And Other Seafood

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service kicked off April with a sizable open purchase request for Commodity Credit Corporation Alaska pollock nuggets, Atlantic pollock fillets, haddock fillets, and Ocean Perch fillets. The solicitation is for use in domestic food distribution programs, with offers due by April 15.

For Alaska pollock nuggets, the USDA is seeking a whopping 5,700,000 lbs., which will be purchased in 20 lb. boxes of 2 lb. packages. Craig Morris, the CEO of the...

MSC Certified Alaska Pollock For The Win 

Alaska pollock is the true winner in a recent carbon footprint model project sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment. 

Last year Maruha Nichiro Corporation was selected to participate in the Japanese Ministry of the Environment’s Model Project for the Carbon Footprint of Products and Service. The project, which has been running for quite a few years now, “seeks to create an advanced model for calculating, displaying and utilizing carbon footprint data to support decarbonization initiatives in Japan.” The project also seeks to share this information with consumers to help them...

Japan: Frozen Pollock Fillet Imports in 2023 Fell 7% to Below 10,000 Tons

According to the Ministry of Finance's trade statistics, the import volume of frozen pollock fillets, mainly destined for foodservice, was 9,716 tons in 2023, down 7% from the previous year. The average import price (CIF) was 620 yen/kg ($4.09/kg), up 4%. The quantity imported from Russia decreased by 30%. In addition to curtailing local fillet production due to instability caused by economic sanctions, Russia's shipments to China have recovered as the coronavirus subsides, reported Minato Shimbun...

Russian Government Will Consider Zeroing Duties on Fish Exports

The Russian government will consider zeroing duties on the exports of some types of fish products in a move to provide support to domestic fishermen.

Part of this plan involves the lifting of duties on the exports of pollock, cod, iwasi and deep-sea crabs. At present the rate is set at 5.5%.

According to fishermen, the existing duties have a negative impact on the profitability of Russian fishing enterprises, especially due to the existing counter restrictions imposed by the EU and the United States against Russian fish...

March Aldi Finds Are Packed With Seafood

March is seafood’s month to shine thanks to the Lenten season. Those that observe the religious period refrain from eating meat on Fridays leading up to Easter, which this year falls on March 31. And to promote seafood offerings, discount grocer Aldi has multiple seafood options highlighted in their “Aldi Finds,” a list of limited-time inventory items released throughout the month. 

Aldi releases new “Finds” every week. These “Finds” often have limited inventory and are not guaranteed to be released again. In addition, they are also at “rock-bottom” prices...

Wide Variety of Species Make Up The 2024 Seafood Excellence Award Finalists

From seaweed to shrimp and yellowtail snapper. This year’s finalists for the Seafood Excellence Awards are made up of a wide variety of species. 

The Seafood Excellence Awards Competition takes place during Seafood Expo North America and was created to recognize exciting new product releases based on their “uniqueness and appropriateness to the market, taste profile, packaging, market potential, convenience, nutritional value and originality.” There are two categories for products to compete in: Best New Foodservice Product and Best New Retail Product...

Japan: 2023 Surimi Products Output Exceeded 460,000 Tons for the First Time in 8 Years

According to a report in the Suisan Keizai Shimbun, the national production of surimi products in December announced by the Food Supply and Demand Research Center was 44,175 tons. This was an increase of 0.7% compared to the same month the year before last, marking the 12th consecutive month of positive growth. As a result, the annual total for the January-December period increased by 11.8% to 461,711 tons. If the figures remain unchanged, the level would have exceeded...

VIDEO: What 6 QSR Chains Are Offering For Lent

Join SeafoodNews Weekly Video co-hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione as they kick off the Lenten season in style! It’s a big time of year for the seafood industry — especially in the QSR and fast casual space. While there are a handful of chains that offer fish sandwiches on their menu year-round, others use this time to roll out some limited time seafood offerings. Watch to find out what six QSR chains are offering for Lent.

This episode of the SeafoodNews Weekly Video is brought to you by...

Lent 2024: What 6 QSRs And Fast Casual Restaurants Are Offering On Their Menus This Year

Ash Wednesday has arrived, kicking off the Lenten season. During the six week period leading up to Easter on March 31, Catholics who observe the religious period refrain from eating meat on Fridays. And while surveys conducted in the last few years suggest that fewer people are partaking in the tradition, it’s still a big time of year for the seafood industry — especially in the quick service restaurant (QSR) and fast casual space. While there are a handful of chains that...

USDA Seeking 15.2 Million Pounds of Alaska Pollock

The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has issued a new solicitation for CCC fish. 

CCC, or Commodity Credit Corporation, is a government-owned and operated entity. CCC was created to “stabilize, support and protect farm income and prices.” According to the USDA it also helps “maintain balanced and adequate supplies and agricultural commodities and aids in their orderly distribution. 

The latest bid for CCC opened on February 9 and is seeking 173,599.908 cases of 24/7.5 oz canned red salmon; 148,959.804 cases of 24/14.75 oz canned red salmon...

Church’s Chicken Brings Back Limited Time Seafood Offerings For Lent

“It’s seafood season.” 

A visit to the Church’s Texas Chicken website will show you that while “chicken” is in their name, it’s taking a backseat this month to seafood. The chain has brought back their seafood offerings for a limited time, just ahead of the start of Lent.

Featured at Church’s this month is a handful of seafood options, including a fish sandwich, fish platter, and shrimp basket.

“Guests looking to get their seafood fix can enjoy our Wild-caught Pacific Pollock Fish Filet, coated in our own signature...

White Castle Brings Back Shrimp Nibblers, Clam Strips Ahead of Lent

White Castle may be known for their beef sliders, but the fast casual chain features seafood on their menu year-round with offerings like the fish slider, panko breaded fish slider, and fish nibblers. But when the Lenten season approaches the restaurant brand usually doubles their seafood offerings with fan-favorite limited time menu items – like Shrimp Nibblers

This year White Castle is not only bringing back their Shrimp Nibblers, but also Sriracha Shrimp Nibblers, which debuted for the first time in 2023...

Russian Pollock Association Predicts Exports of Pollock Will Grow in 2024

Exports of pollock from Russia in 2024 may grow by 13% on a year-on-year basis, to more than 880,000 tonnes, according to earlier predictions made by experts of the Russian Pollock Association (ADM). At the same time, the profitability of supplies will decrease by 5%, to US$1.2 billion.

As experts of the Association have earlier said in an interview with the Russian media, the key trend in pollock exports last year became reorientation from fillets to frozen pollock and surimi...

The Winding Glass: Alaskan Fisheries Have Hit the Wall; Can They Fly Again? 

These are dark times in Alaska and not just because of the short days in January. 2023 saw an unprecedented collapse for Alaska salmon and pollock after a roaring demand in 2022. These two fisheries are the lynchpin of seafood value in Alaska and their collapse has hurt production of other species as well. 

The fallout has included retrenchment by processors like Trident and Peter Pan. Trident is putting one-third of their Alaskan plants up for sale, cutting back operations, and postponing for at least...

Peter Pan Halts Operations For Summer And Winter Production Cycles For The “Foreseeable Future”

Peter Pan Seafood’s fate has been up in the air since the company announced in January that it would be closing its King Cove plant for the winter fisheries of cod, whitefish and crab. Now, the company has confirmed that it will be “halting operations at its processing plants, leading to the discontinuation of both summer and winter production cycles for the foreseeable future.”

The decision to halt operations comes just a few weeks after Peter Pan...

JAPAN: Hokkaido Pollock Surimi Production Continues To Decline In February

According to the National Surimi Manufacturers Association, the production of land-based surimi from Hokkaido in February was about half the same month as the previous year, indicating an overall decrease in production amid many days of rough waters.

In February, the production of pollock surimi decreased by 54.6% to 167 tons compared to the same month last year. Production of Atka mackerel surimi decreased by 45.2% to 34 tons. The combined production of both surimi was 201 tons, marking a significant 56.3% decrease from the previous year and...

Russian Fish Sector Shows Good Catch Figures This Year

The Russian fish sector shows good catch figures this year due to generally good weather and other conditions, according to the latest data from the Russian Federal Agency of Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) and some local media reports.

According to data from Rosrybolovstvo, as of March 21, the volume of catch in the domestic territorial waters has grown by 4% year-on-year basis up to 1.26 million tons. The current positive dynamics is ongoing.

The best dynamics of catch is traditionally observed in the Far East basin, where...

USDA Awards 5 Companies CCC Fish Contract For Canned Salmon, Alaska Pollock

Last month the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service issued a new solicitation for CCC, or Commodity Credit Corporation Fish. The government agency has since awarded contracts to five companies. 

The CCC Fish bid, which opened on February 9, was seeking 173,599.908 cases of 24/7.5 oz canned red salmon and 148,959.804 cases of 24/14.75 oz canned red salmon. According to the PCA Report released by the USDA, Kanaway Seafoods, OBI Seafoods and Peter Pan Seafood Company have all been awarded bids. Kanaway was awarded 2,800 cases of...

ANALYSIS: 2024 Pollock A Season Landings and Price Reaction

The 2024 Alaskan Pollock A season opened January 20, 2024 in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council set the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for Bering Sea pollock in 2024 to remain at 1.3 million metric tons, consistent with the 2023 level.

While the quota remains unchanged, pollock stock is reportedly healthy, resulting in an increased biomass. This has allowed for a boost to the allowable biological catch (ABC) from 1.9 million metric tons reported in 2023 to...

January Hokkaido Pollock Surimi Production Plummeted 40% to 530 Tons

The National Surimi Manufacturers Association announced on February 26 that the production of land-based surimi from Hokkaido in January was significantly lower than the previous year for Alaska pollock and Atka mackerel. In December, the production of Alaska pollock surimi increased and returned to positive for the first time in 16 months, but it fell back into negative.

Production of pollock surimi in January was 534 tons, a 37.5% decrease compared to the same month last year, as catches in eastern Hokkaido other than Kushiro were weak...

Import Ban on Russian Seafood Into U.S. Receives Extension To May

In the final days of 2023, President Joseph R. Biden signed an Executive Order on “taking additional steps with respect to the Russian Federation’s harmful actions.” The U.S. had already banned imports of Russian seafood, but the latest Executive Order closed a loophole that allowed Russian-caught seafood, processed in China, to enter the country. The government gave U.S. importers a deadline of February 21 to bring in any Russian-origin seafood that was already under contract or written agreement prior to December 22...

Alaska Politicians Applaud USDA’s Plan to Purchase Nearly $100 Million Worth of Salmon Products

Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, along with Representative Mary Peltola, are applauding the USDA’s latest seafood purchase request through Section 32 and the Commodity Credit Corporation.

As SeafoodNews reported earlier this week, the USDA’s agricultural marketing service issued a new solicitation for CCC fish, or Commodity Credit Corporation.

The latest bid for CCC opened on February 9 and is seeking 173,599.908 cases of 24/7.5 oz canned red salmon; 148,959.804 cases of 24/14.75 oz canned red salmon; 7,600,000 pounds of...

Wild Alaska Pollock Debuts at UBS Arena In New York During Islanders Vs. Kraken Game

When you go to a sports venue to watch a game you’re bound to enjoy some drinks and food. Chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, sausage and hot pretzels tend to be popular options at  sporting events. But the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) has been hard at work to get wild Alaska pollock in the hands of fans.

In September, while at GAPP’s annual meeting in Seattle, attendees heard about the great success of pollock on the menu at...

Russian Pollock Producers Hope for Significant Increase of Sales in Domestic Market This Year

Leading Russian pollock producers hope for a significant increase of sales on the domestic market this year. This will mainly be due to the popularization of pollock among local customers and the decline of prices for it.

So far, high prices have been one of the major factors which have limited the consumption of pollock and other Russian fish in the domestic market. However, there is a possibility that this problem could be solved — at least partially — in the short-term...

PODCAST: GAPP's Craig Morris, Content Creator Emily De Sousa Talk Bringing Pollock To Sports Venues

Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers CEO Craig Morris and "Seaside with Emily" content creator Emily De Sousa join the SeafoodNews Podcast to talk about bringing wild Alaska pollock to sports venues. Plus, podcast co-hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione give a run through of QSR Lent offerings and a peek at what's going on with seafood at retail for Valentine's Day. 

This episode of the SeafoodNews Podcast is brought to you by Urner Barry. Urner Barry is heading to Boston...

Russian Fish Sector Shows Positive Dynamics This Year

The Russian fish sector is showing positive dynamics this year as the volume of catch of some major fish species is growing.

Currently the best figures are observed in pollock and herring. According to data of Rosrybolovstvo, as of January 30, pollock catch in the Far East reached 248.400 tons, which is almost 17% more than the 2023 level.

At the same time a significant increase compared to last year is observed in the herring fishery: 83.500 tons, which is b 1.7 times more year-on-year basis...

Russian Pollock Fishermen Achieved Record Figures in 2023

Russian fishermen caught 1.96 million tons of pollock in 2023, which became a record figure for the country over the past 25 years and exceeded the catch in 2022 by 3%, according to a recent report from the Russian Pollock Association (ADM).

In regard of pollock products, the overall output grew by 7.4% to 1,08 million tons.

In general, the share of pollock in the overall catch in Russia has reached almost 36%; it still remains the main commercial sea resource of the Russian Federation. Last year, 275 vessels worked...

The US Side Wants to Raise Alaskan Cod Prices; the Japanese Side Seeks to Suppress Prices

According to a Minato Shimbun report, the domestic sales price of frozen dressed Pacific cod from Alaska, with a core size of 9/10 fish/18-19 kg block, reached the low 900 yen/kg ($6.08/kg) range in the second half of 2022 and then declined, and as of mid-January this year, it is now 700-800 yen/kg ($4.73-5.41/kg). Although the fishing quota has increased by 20% this year, the producers suffering from...