--- West Coast fishermen blame poor weather and high wind for the slight decrease in fishing efforts for Pacific Rockfish so far this season. Harsh weather has slowed fishing since December but harvests for fresh sales should pick up this week as processors indicate a stable outlook for volume production. The fresh market typically picks up this time of the year as the weather clears, so anticipate fewer fish hitting the freezers for a few months. Larger vessels used to target rockfish with success during the winter months, bringing in around 200,000 lbs per trip. However, it is difficult to process that volume of fresh fish quickly, so fisherman opt for smaller vessels, which is why we see the production stall every year. Fresh pricing is up 9 percent from last year around the $4.00 USD mark for fillets, mainly due to weather. According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, mostly copper and tiger rockfish has been harvested. Greens and Canary's are landing now in the 3-5lb range in the round, which would predominately produce a 6-8oz skinless boneless fillet. Expect stock to hit freezers as the weather continues to improve, with pricing slightly higher than last year during the fresh push, which will saturate the market quite quickly. --- Our TradexLIVE offer of the week is for 2-4oz Shatterpack Alaska Pollock fillets. These are #1 Quality 2016 production, skinless, pin bone out fillets. We have 40,000 lbs available in Seattle for $1.72 / LB USD. Click or tap the icon above to view this offer. --- Over to Kyla now for a quick Halibut update. --- Pacific Halibut fishing began again on March 19th, with quotas up a marginal 2.3 percent from last year. After a few days of bad weather over the weekend, we've heard mixed reviews from fishermen on how the harvests kicked off. Grounds pricing are up 25 cents per pound this year at $6.50 - $6.75 / lb. The frozen market opened last year with decent landings - pricing in April for under 20 lb H&Gs was $8.65 / LB. 5lb up Fletches were at $15.70 / LB USD in Seattle. If fishing picks up, expect the fresh market to plug up quickly, softening grounds pricing and bringing frozen to the market earlier. --- Back to you, Rob. ----Thank you for joining us for the Tradex Foods "3-Minute Market Insight" This is Robert Reierson - “BUY SMART” and “EAT MORE SEAFOOD

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