As mentioned in a previous episode, the 2017 Alaska Pollock total allowable catch limits dropped by 50,000 metric tonnes in the Gulf and increased slightly by 5,000 metric tonnes in the Bering Sea.
NOAA's catch data as of January 7th shows 195 metric tonnes of Pollock harvested this year in the Bering Sea.
No prices have been confirmed, but headed and gutted Alaska Pollock offers seem to range anywhere betweeen $1,450 and $1,550 per metric tonne.
We should see more solid pricing in a couple of weeks, but expect them to be in this range.
--- For finished goods, Bering Sea Pollock fillets opened at $1.90/lb for 2-4s in February last year, with fillets from the Gulf around $1.75/lb.
4-6oz Shatterpack fillets were very scarce again in 2016, any inventory that was available was in the high 2 dollar range.
Expect to see a similar trend this year.
--- In Russia, Headed and gutted Pollock raw material pricing have dropped to nearly $1,000 per metric tonne, after opening the season at $1,100 and closing at $1,250 last year.
Twice frozen finished goods held steady for the duration of 2016, with fillets at $1.17/lb in L.A. and Loins in Boston at $1.67.
Preliminary pricing for after Chinese New Year shows an unexpected increase of a few pennies on fillets, due to recent increases in labour and packaging costs.
The Chinese government closed many paper and plastic plants in 2016 that were not up to certain environmental standards, which will add a penny or two to exports for North America.
Pricing should be finalized around early-to-mid Febraury for all Pollock from Alaska, stay tuned for more.
