FOR RELEASE: USDA Purchases Wild Alaska Salmon and Pollock
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Greg Smith, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
(907) 465-5562, [email protected]
USDA Releases Bids to Purchase Over 1.7 Million Cases of Canned Wild Alaska Salmon and 15 Million Pounds of Wild Alaska Pollock
JUNEAU, AK — February 20, 2024
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) is pleased to share the U.S Department of Agriculture’s recently released bids for more than 1.4 million cases of canned Alaska pink salmon, three hundred thousand cases of canned Alaska sockeye salmon and 15 million pounds of Alaska pollock fish sticks and fillets. Each case of salmon consists of 24 cans, regardless of size. All of the pink salmon will be in “tall” cans that contain 14.75 oz. and the sockeye salmon will be split between the 14.75 oz. “talls” and the smaller 7.5 oz. “halves”. This is great news for the Alaska seafood industry and food insecure Americans around the country, who will benefit from these nutritious and desirable products through USDA’s food and nutrition programs this year.
These salmon and pollock products will be sourced in the U.S. from Alaska’s sustainably managed fisheries. This purchase will be a boon for Alaskan fishermen, processors and communities who have faced challenging market conditions in 2023.
At the request of the seafood industry, ASMI initiated requests of the Secretary of Agriculture for assistance under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935. This program assists U.S. agricultural food markets by purchasing commodities to relieve market surpluses. Bruce Schactler, ASMI’s Global Food Aid Program Director, worked closely with USDA, industry and the Alaska delegation in Washington, D.C. throughout the process, which relies on economic review of the sector to gauge need. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan and Representative Mary Peltola were instrumental in supporting the requests and securing approval from the Secretary of Agriculture, the arbiter of the program.
ASMI and the Alaska seafood harvesters, processors and industry appreciate the USDA’s partnership to support the Alaska seafood industry while providing products with exceptional nutrition to consumers across the country. ASMI encourages USDA to continue to expand access to high quality, health promoting, sustainable wild Alaska Seafood for its program participants and align their offerings with dietary guidelines that recommend two servings of seafood per week for all Americans, starting at one year of age.
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About Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute:
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) is a partnership between the State of Alaska and the Alaska seafood industry promoting the benefits of wild and sustainable Alaska seafood and offering seafood industry education. The seafood industry is Alaska’s largest basic private sector employer with nearly 60% of all wild seafood and 90-95% of wild salmon harvested in the U.S. coming from Alaska. In addition to wild salmon, Alaska is known for its crab and whitefish varieties such as Pacific cod, sablefish, halibut, Alaska pollock, sole and rockfish – available fresh or frozen year-round.
Alaska has been dedicated to sustainable seafood for more than 50 years and is the only state with a constitution that mandates all seafood be managed under the sustained yield principle. Alaska has taken a leadership role in setting the global standard for precautionary resource management to protect fisheries and surrounding habitats for future generations and leading to an ever-replenishing supply of wild seafood for markets worldwide.
