3MMI - Mid-Season Pink Shrimp Review

EP 397 | Aired 07/30/2018

Small Count per Pound in Mid-Season Pink Shrimp Review

July 30, 2018 -We contacted the Pink Shrimp project leader for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Scott Groth, to see how the fishery shapes up this year.

2018 Alaska Salmon Commercial Harvest Counter
(Harvest in thousands of fish)
Tradex 2018 Alaska Salmon Commercial Harvest Counter
Updated: MON JUL 30 2018 8:00AM (View Previous Weeks Totals)

Landings for most of July sit at 19.5 million pounds.

Historically, the Pink Fishery peaked in 2015 at 53.5 million pounds for the year, followed by two years of declining harvests.

If we look year-to-year, by the end of June last year the fishery had realized 48 percent of what would be the yearly catch of 23 million pounds.

This year, the landings are up 2 million pounds for the same time frame, perhaps a positive indicator of better harvests in 2018.

In the Annual Pink Shrimp Review posted by the Oregon Department at the beginning of the year, the 2018 indicators hinted that count issues could arise early on in the fishery this year.

And as forecasted, several processors showed concern for producing the popular 250-350 count per pound grade early in the season.

One West Coast Pink Shrimp processor we spoke to was grading primarily 350-500count after slow landings, anticipating some improvement.

Currently, the average landing is around 420count per pound.

Another Pink Shrimp processor indicated that they were grading into a 275-375 count per pound.

Ex-warehouse pricing on the West Coast is very strong, around $5.70/lb in Seattle.

For the 350-500 count size, buyers should anticipate pricing to be between $5.00 and $5.20/lb in Seattle.

Some shrimp buyers looked to East Coast production for inventory relief, but high price points have prevented a substitute.

Instead, Shrimp buyers should look to move customers to options like 275-375count and take purchase opportunities when they arise.

--- To wrap this episode up, our TradexLIVE offer of the week is for Sinbad IQF Pollock Fillets. We have 14,440 lbs of twice frozen, #1 quality, food service pack Pollock fillets, available for pickup Vancouver at $1.35/lb USD.

TradexLIVE Offer Of The Week

If you have a topic you'd like to hear on upcoming 3-Minute Market Insights tweet us @TradexFoods or suggest a topic through YouTube or Facebook