Saturday, February 9, 2013

The salmon situation

University of Alaska Anchorage fisheries economist Gunnar Knapp last week gave legislators in Juneau an overview of world salmon trends.

You can view the entire presentation here. It's well worth your time.

"In general, as of February the market outlook for 2013 looks relatively favorable," says Knapp, sizing up the short-term salmon situation for Alaska. He cites three key factors:

• Sockeye harvest volumes probably will be lower
• Canned salmon markets are strong and inventories are low
• Farmed salmon prices appear to be strengthening

Lower harvests, Knapp explains, can push up prices, and Alaska's wild salmon value generally rises or falls with prices for farmed salmon, which now dominates world supply.

Here are a few more interesting Knapp notes:

Alaska wild salmon accounts for less than a third of U.S. fresh and frozen salmon consumption.

About two-thirds of Alaska pink salmon production was frozen in 2011, compared to less than 20 percent in the late 1990s.

The first wholesale value of Alaska salmon production has increased dramatically, from $466 million in 2002 to $1.5 billion in 2011. Total processor margin and total ex-vessel value have risen by similar amounts.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I saw him at EXPO, that is one nappy headed bro!

Anonymous said...

Captain Obvious, fearlessly stating the well-known, along with his side-kick, Chicken Little.

Anonymous said...

Hey Gunnar, you forgot to mention the 4th and most important key factor for increase in salmon value:
CHINA

A million new seafood hungry millionaires sure are nice to have in our futures.

Farm salmon is just fine for the Walmart crowd, but Asian seafood markets know wild salmon is the real deal.

Ah yes, the previously economically sleeping Asian mainland is awake and it wants wild Alaskan salmon. Move over Suisan.

And hey, it's great for national trade rebalance efforts.

Anonymous said...

sounds like something Silver Bay would say

Anonymous said...

China is a big new salmon market, unfortunetly they dont care if its wild or farmed. Just ask the processors that sent chums to china and tryed to compete with the farmed products. They took a bath. Some are still sitting on product they cant sell.

Anonymous said...


Well, you said it, chums.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em otherwise... why do you think they're called dogs?

Anonymous said...

Obviously there are some people on here who know little about eating fine quality Alaska salmon. As a lifetime harvester, connoisseur, and cook of all species of Alaska salmon I can tell you that the ocean brite troll caught and handled chum salmon I harvest cook and eat are a wonderful tasty delight. Often in the summer I will have all five species on deck. Each one, like the different varieties of fine wine, have their own distinct color and flavor.
And, having crewed on a seiner for many years, and visited with gillnetters from the Yukon to the Stikine, a lot of them are really proud of the fine salmon, including fine chum salmon, that they harvest and carefully handle.
Dissing any of our fine salmon is just dumb. Are the KRSA boys still lurking here?

Eric

Anonymous said...

Are you really that serious? You sound like you're giving some Whole Foods audience a sales pitch. Don't get yer bibs in a wad. You must be smoking more than dogs if you rank them up there with reds and kings. Yup, that trolling life does lead to a laid back puff of smoke now and then. Straight out of the water ANY salmon tastes like white tablecloth fare. But if you're going to try and tell me, a 45 year veteran of conkin' the oncorhyncus family, that chum flesh holds up favorably to storage and market, not buyin'. But yeah, the wine analogy, that's true, only because three buck chuck is in the mix.

Smoke dogs, not weed.

The eggs of the chum on the other hand are far better than any other salmon eggs! No comparison. Happy cooking, cookie.

Anonymous said...

The market for salmon in China is a far cry from Japan. True, there is a huge upper middle class. But, China has not historically been a salmon consuming nation. Sales are increasing but slowly. The best strategy is to double US sockeye consumption by educating consumers on the benefit, value and superiority of wild over farmed.

Take it easy on troller guy. He just loves his job and is proud of his product. Why do you feel the need to pick a fight?

Anonymous said...

Eric just does that to people....

Anonymous said...

Catching chum to market the eggs should be outlawed. Let the market farm chum for their eggs. The wild salmon eggs need to go back into the streams to keep the populations healthy and sustainable. This idea that we have to skim a dollar here and a dollar there is so territorial, which by the way ended it place in Alaska history a little over 50 years ago.

Anonymous said...

Eric:, I told you that these blogs should never be taken seriously and only serve as a place for those who are afraid to identify themselves to make ugly and unkind comments. Your post was right on, not meant to be controversial and what did you get in return? Hostile replies. I rest my case Eric. Don't waste your time with this blog site. Keep catching those Chums.

Anonymous said...

Oh boobyt,

why are you signing anon? I thought that you were outraged by that act.

Eric started the hostile tact by calling my dog grading "dumb" and that I was some plant "lurking". I don't think that grading feeder dogs in the marketplace as mush puppies is hostile. Boob, you are something else. Quit trying to cry a river.

Anonymous said...

Seattle seafood restaurants sell chum at a premium above all other salmon.

In other words, it's a scam.

Anonymous said...

Bullshit comes and goes. Truth lasts forever. Clue up boob, quit lying and sticking up for the wrong causes. Didn't you learn nuthin' at confirmation, I know you skipped Sunday school too often.

Anonymous said...

Alaska is a bully state where Special Interest groups dominate and do dirty tricks for control. Being able to write anon is a necessity in order to survive.

By the way, name calling just because you disagree is so juvenile. No wonder our state is in disharmony over our Natural Resources, primarily in the fisheries category. Greed and selfishness dominates.

Anonymous said...

I didn't realize the ex-vessel value of Bristol Bay Salmon had more than tripled since 2002.

Anonymous said...

Yes, bringing it back to the neighborhood of prices in the 1970's, of course with multiples less of buying power value than the 70's prices. How far we've come to be making less!

Thank God food never goes out of style and greed breeds competition.

Anonymous said...

Hey!..Why aren't these Chum Fchuckers flying Chuckers over to North Korea?...They need Food like a hooker needs a new bar of soap and vinegar! Let's go CHUCK! Get your Gulf Stream filled and empty some of that cold storage product for cheap, ya just might start a new market!....worse case scenario, a huge write off as always! If the CEO of Google did it why can't you? No mind U.S. trade laws...you've already slid past some of those in the past...throw us a bone here....this will enable you to pump more pollock into the freezer bins this year!...Heck you might be able to put the color wheel to pollock in the future too, if all the Salmon disappear!...Now there's an Idea! Chuck would be a National HERO! Let's all save the Pollock Fishery and Icicle Too!
Are there any Super Draggers out there?...I will be needing a job on one!...One or two Super Draggers could just take up all fishery quotas.....Better make that Salmon get governed by the Feds after all!