Through June 12, halibut landings total nearly 23.2 million pounds (44 percent of statewide quota) and sablefish landings total 17.6 million pounds, 51 percent of the Alaska quota.
Compared to the recent three-year average (2003-2005), weekly landing volume of halibut is up significantly in recent weeks, while sablefish landings are slightly behind the three-year average.
Reliable, repeatable price data for halibut is not readily available at this time. However, anecdotal reports indicate halibut prices remain at or above $3.50 per pound in much of the state as of early June. This is significant because landing volume during the last four weeks is 14 percent above the most recent three-year average.
Halibut landings in the four weeks between May 8 and June 7 total 10.6 million pounds, up from the previous 2003-2005 average of 9.3 million pounds landed during the same four weeks. This suggests that demand for halibut has continued to grow, as price remains very strong even with the elevated landings volume in recent weeks.
As with halibut prices, reliable and repeatable price data for sablefish are not available at this time. But like halibut, anecdotal reports indicate that sablefish ex-vessel price is quite strong. Still, this does not appear to have had a major effect on 2006 sablefish landing patterns. Weekly landings spiked sharply above the three-year average during two weeks of this year, but otherwise have remained below typical weekly landings of the last three years. Through June 7, weekly landings for 2006 totaled 48 percent of the quota, compared to the 2003-2005 average of 53 percent.
In other news, the Pacific halibut fishery received the sustainable fishery certification from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in April of this year. Alaska sablefish was also certified sustainable by MSC, in May. Alaska sablefish is the ninetheenth fishery to be certified sustainable by MSC.
