Alaska Department of Revenue released the September-December 2005 Alaska Salmon Price Report (ASPR) in late February. Due to the low sales volume of fresh fillet and fresh H&G salmon during the period, those products are not included in the summary table.
Changes in first wholesale price from September – December 2004 to the same period in 2005 are consistent with the full-year ASPR data. Namely, frozen H&G values for Chinook and coho dropped slightly, while sockeye value showed a modest increase. First wholesale values for frozen H&G pink and chum showed more significant percentage gains. Average chum price increased 39 percent from $.59 to $.82 per pound and pink price increased 19 percent from $.53 to $.62 per pound.
Frozen Sockeye Pace of Sales
The ASPR report for September-December 2005 and the annual production report for calendar year 2005 provide data to determine the pace of frozen sockeye sales.
Industry and trade press reports indicate that sales of H&G frozen sockeye in Japan were slow through December 2005, and the Department of Revenue data supports those reports. Through the end of December 2005, 25 million pounds of frozen H&G sockeye remained unsold (26 percent of the pack).
H&G frozen sockeye production in 2005 was 96 million pounds and sales volume during May – December 2005 was 71 million pounds, only 74 percent of production. Average price for September – December 2005 was slightly higher (up 11 cents per pound) but frozen pack movement was down from 2004, when May-December H&G frozen sockeye sales totaled 91 percent of that year’s production.
