usda – Fishermens News

USDA Could Buy Up to $50M in Alaska Pollock

15Jan

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USDA Could Buy Up to $50M in Alaska Pollock

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is hailing a federal decision to purchase up to $50 million of Alaska pollock for food bank programs as a benefit to both hungry Americans and a fishing industry struggling with reduced demand and increased marketplace competition. “We all appreciate the quick response by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to address the needs of the seafood industry, and at the same time food-insecure Americans, by committing to purchase what may be more than 15 million pounds of wild Alaska pollock products,” ASMI Global Food Aid Director Bruce Schactler said Jan. 8. The purchase of fillet portions, fish sticks and nuggets, he said, strengthens the nutrition profile of USDA offerings as recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, while at the same...

Larger Volumes of Salmon, Pollock Have Potential for Revenue Increases in 2025

11Dec

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Larger Volumes of Salmon, Pollock Have Potential for Revenue Increases in 2025

2024 was not a recovery year for total ex-vessel value of Alaska’s seafood harvest, but the potential of greater harvests of salmon and pollock in 2025 could bring a revenue boost, even with static prices, according to a research consultant monitoring the state's fisheries. Potential larger volumes of the salmon and pollock are positive price signals, seafood economics consultant Sam Friedman of McKinley Research Group, said. Friedman presented the economic update on Dec. 3, during the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute's annual “All Hands On Deck” gathering in Anchorage. Friedman factored in the impact on prices given the likelihood that the incoming Trump administration could impose heavy tariffs on imports from China, where a lot of Alaska seafood undergoes secondary processin...

24Jul

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$22M in USDA Seafood Purchases Win Kudos From Seafood Processors

Officials with the West Coast Seafood Processors Association (WCSPA) say recent U.S. Department of Agriculture purchases of $22 million in Pacific rockfish fillets and Pacific hake fillets are helping mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Continuing this partnership in 2024 will maintain this trend,” WCSPA Executive Director Lori Steele said in a July 16 statement. The purchase benefits the USDA, the domestic seafood industry and the public, she said. What with the current global and domestic seafood markets in disarray, the USDA's commitment to purchasing rockfish and whiting from the West Coast will help keep fishermen on the water, allow processors to retain employees and communities to thrive, Midwater Trawlers Cooperative Executive Director Heather Mann sai...

17Apr

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USDA Updates WIC Food Packages to Include More Seafood

Final changes to the new food packages for women, infants and children (WIC) approved by the Department of Agriculture include six ounces of canned fish to food packages for children ages 1-4 and allow canned light tuna, chub mackerel, salmon, sardines and Atlantic mackerel for children. The final changes announced April 9 also include the addition of 10 ounces of canned fish to food packages for pregnant and postpartum participants, and 15 ounces for partially breastfeeding participants. Amounts for fully breastfeeding participants has been adjusted from 30 to 20 ounces. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who has advocated for inclusion of Alaska salmon in WIC food packages since 2014, called the updated program great news for America’s mothers and children. Alaska’s wild salmon is ...

13Mar

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OBI, Peter Pan Seafoods Score Winning Bids for USDA Salmon Solicitation

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated OBI Seafoods and Peter Pan Seafood Co. as the awardees of contracts for thousands of cans of wild Alaska pink salmon to be delivered to needy recipients nationwide. A March 6 USDA announcement said that the contracts include 713 truckloads of 14.75 -ounce canned pink salmon valued at $53,882,923 from OBI Seafoods and 242 truckloads of 14.75-ounce canned pink salmon valued at $17,240,660 from Peter Pan Seafood. The food is set to be delivered from May 16, 2024 through Feb. 28, 2025. The purchases were made under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935, which authorizes USDA to support prices of commodities in surplus by purchasing them in the marketplace, and also authorizes USDA to distribute commodities domes...

USDA Purchases $68M of Wild Alaska Seafood

2Aug

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USDA Purchases $68M of Wild Alaska Seafood

Federal agriculture officials have purchased more than $68 million in wild Alaska sockeye salmon and $8 million in Pacific rockfish fillets from Alaska and the West Coast, taking a lot of the leftover 2022 harvest off of the market. An added bonus, according to Bruce Schactler, food aid program and development director for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), is that this could give millions of people their first taste of wild Alaska sockeye salmon. Efforts to market the past season’s abundance, mostly millions of pounds of sockeyes from the Bristol Bay fishery, have been in motion since the 2022 season ended. “It finally came to fruition, a little later than we hoped,” Schactler said. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has a variety of domestic programs, and its purch...

USDA Purchases Nearly $4.5 M in Canned Alaska Pink Salmon for Domestic Food Assistance

29Mar

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USDA Purchases Nearly $4.5 M in Canned Alaska Pink Salmon for Domestic Food Assistance

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has purchased $4,491,524 worth of canned Alaska pink salmon from OBI Seafoods, Silver Bay Seafoods LLC and Trident Seafoods Corp. for distribution to child nutrition and other related domestic food assistance programs for fiscal year 2023. The purchase, announced March 16, was the result of offers received in response to a March 2 USDA solicitation. Deliveries are to be made from April 16 through Aug. 30. Purchases from OBI at Kodiak totaling $758,692, are destined for food assistance programs in Louisiana, New York and Texas. Purchases from Silver Bay Seafoods in Sitka, totaling $3,548,911, are to be delivered in California, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, New York and Texas. Purchases from Trident Seafoods’ Cordova plant, totaling $183,9...

Congressional Group Urges USDA to Purchase Seafood Products

8Mar

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Congressional Group Urges USDA to Purchase Seafood Products

Four U.S. senators and six U.S. House of Representatives members from Washington, Oregon and California have asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue purchases of West Coast seafood products for the economic benefit of the industry and coastal communities. Pacific Northwest and West Coast seafood products are currently being produced in large volumes, easily accessible and easily transportable for immediate distribution to food assistance program, they told Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack in a letter, noting economic challenges the seafood industry has been facing, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine. The purchases are being made under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935, which authorizes USDA to support prices of commodities in surplu...

30Nov

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USDA Proposes Better Access to Seafood in WIC Program

Federal officials in late November proposed changes for participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), including improved access to canned fish, to reflect the latest dietary guidelines. These science-based revisions, recommended by the National Academies of Science, Engineers and Medicine (NASEM) and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2020-2025, prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to post the proposed changes in the Federal Register. Those guidelines recommend two eight-ounce servings of healthy seafood a week, starting at six months of age. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the proposed changes would strengthen WIC by ensuring that it provides foods that reflect the latest nutrition science to support heal...

USDA Approves $52M Purchase of Pacific Northwest Seafood Products

10Aug

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USDA Approves $52M Purchase of Pacific Northwest Seafood Products

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials have approved a $52 million purchase of Pacific Northwest seafood products, a deal that Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden say will provide a boost to the state’s seafood industry after being hard hit by COVID-19 and climate chaos. The deal includes the purchase of $22 million in Pacific whiting fillets, $18 million in Pacific rockfish fillets and $12 million in Pacific pink shrimp. “Not only do our fisheries deliver incredible products all around the world, they have been the lifeblood of communities up and down Oregon’s coast for generations,” Merkley said. “This announcement ensures Oregon’s coastal fishermen and seafood producers receive critical financial assistance needed to continue operating and providing services here in O...