Through September 15, Alaska Department of Fish and Game preliminary figures show the total 2006 Alaska salmon harvest at 135 million fish, ranking as the 17th-largest catch historically. Some additional volume of coho and chum salmon is expected as late-season harvest is tallied, but the total will likely remain under 137 million fish.
Alaska Department of Revenue released the May-August 2006 Alaska Salmon Price Report (ASPR) October 17. The ASPR covers wholesale volume and first wholesale value, by species and area, for six key Alaska salmon products. “First wholesale” is defined as the first sale by a processor to a buyer outside their affiliate network. The report as published by Department of Revenue is specific to area but is summarized into statewide totals here.
Pack estimates in this issue of the bulletin are preliminary, as statewide harvest figures are not yet finalized and specific fish size is not yet available. These pack estimates (and resulting inventory figures) will be corrected in later bulletins as more specific data becomes available.
Frozen H&G sockeye remains by far the most valuable single-species salmon product produced in Alaska, with first wholesale value of nearly $160 million in 2005. Frozen sockeye markets are a subject of keen interest for the Alaska industry, particularly with the rebound in stocks now producing three consecutive years of sockeye harvests in excess of 40 million fish.
Pollock fisheries in Alaska waters have all but finished, with a regulatory end to the year’s fisheries coming up on November 1. Catches in the state’s largest pollock fishery, in the Bering Sea, are approaching the year’s total allowable catch. National Marine Fisheries Service data showed 96 percent of the total Bering Sea quota had been harvested. Gulf of Alaska fisheries were proceeding more slowly, with 16 percent of the quota still on the table. The arrival of fall storm patterns in the Gulf of Alaska is likely to impact fishing effort through the end of the season.
The 2006-2007 Alaskan king crab season opens to shifting market conditions, changes in world markets and adjustments by fisheries managers that affect Alaska harvest volume and expected value.
The Seafood Market Information Service is funded by a portion of the seafood marketing tax paid by Alaska seafood processors. McDowell Group provides the service as a contractor to Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI).
The Seafood Market Bulletin is currently published six times a year and is available online to permit holders, processors, and other industry participants free of charge. Sign up to receive email notification of the publication of new Seafood Market Bulletins.
Juneau Office
9360 Glacier Hwy,
Suite 201
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: 907-586-6126
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Ste 350
Anchorage, AK 99503
Phone: 907-243-3200
Fax: 907-274-3201
