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Market Report Will there be a glut of frozen halibut this winter? High prices don't seem to deter interest in fresh fish A laska halibut buy- ers say some sell- ers still are peddling frozen fish caught in 2011, leading to ques- tions about whether there will be excess supply again this year and what that means for prices. Te frozen market is softening a bit, says one buyer for a West Coast restaurant chain. "Tere's still some 2011 fish out there. I got quoted some 10-20s today (mid-September) in the $6 range," he halibut chain's corporate chefs and menu planning says. "Tere are a lot of frozen fish and the guys are going to have the same problems they did last year selling it. "We're kind of up in the air on what we want to do with it this winter. I put about 6,000 to 8,000 pounds of H&G; frozen away in July," says the buyer, who's huddling with the Japan salmon prices strengthen temporarily Supplies from Norway, Chile remain strong I n early September, the price of frozen H&G; Atlantic salmon at To- kyo's Tsukiji Wholesale Market ranged from JPY 750 to 800 per ki- logram ($9.56 to $10.19 per kg), a rebound from recent lows of around JPY 700 in late June. Rapid growth of Norwegian Atlantic salmon due to warm water temperatures caused a glut that led to the June price decline. Global salmon pro- duction was up 30 percent in the first half of 2012 leading to a price drop of 35 to 40 percent. Te current price recovery in Japan is due to a decrease in Chilean imports and lower domestic landings, and is likely temporary. Salted Chilean coho (silver) salmon filets aver- aged JPY 473 per kg, while frozen H&G; coho ran from JPY 368 to 441. Tis was up from a bottom of around JPY 350 for coho in early August. Tere is a considerable price difference between Atlantic salmon and coho. However, farmed Chil- ean salmon-trout (steelhead) were popular as a sashimi item this summer. Since the 2011 earth- quake, Chilean coho (silver) salmon has been imported in large quantities. 12 SeaFood Business October 2012 salmon people to decide what the game plan is going to be this winter, saying they are thinking about buying more this year. "It's [about] quality because I don't always like to wait around and then see who's got what available," he says. On the fresh side, the buyer says prices for fresh Alaska halibut remain high, and while that has led to a reduc- tion in the amount he purchases, he still does Flat fish Alaska halibut landings (H&G;), as of Aug. 25 (season ends Nov. 7), in millions of pounds 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 Southeast Alaska Gulf of Alaska good business with the fish despite the rising menu prices. "We're doing about 50 percent of the hali- but we used to do fresh because of what's hap- pened with the price," the buyer says. "I fly Aleutian Islands Total Source: NOAA Fisheries most of my fish in so fish out of Alaska, you get the freight on it, it's $8.25 to $8.50 for 20- 40s in Seattle, 10-20s are $7.50 to $7.75, may- be $7.25. It fluctuates." While demand for (Continued on page 14) Spain readies for autumn abundance of sole Flatfish prices remain fairly steady year-round A fish, s one of the most sought-after flat- sole maintains healthy market prices. Described as com- mon, lemon or Dover sole (lenguado común in Spanish; Solea solea and Solea vulgaris), its various names leave it open to mislabeling. Sole is among the most frequently imitated spe- cies, leading European Commission scientists to use innovative mo- lecular technologies such as DNA analysis to improve traceability. To safeguard sole stocks, the EC passed a regulation in July pro- hibiting Spanish vessels from common sole fish- ing in two FAO zones while Spain's Secretary General for (Continued on page 14) maintained the at the same 403 metric tons (MT) as last year, although the EC pro- posed a 15 percent cut. Having met its multi- stock recovery annual Fisheries na- tional fleet's sole quota plan for Bay of Biscay sole in 2011 — the re- gion covering Atlantic Iberian waters — the EC concluded that landings of 9,300 MT in 2015 put fishing at "a very low risk." How- ever, for 2013, the In- ternational Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advises Bay of Biscay sole landings should be no more than 3,500 MT. Te EC maintained its multi- annual stock recovery sole plan for Western Chan- nel sole — the region of the Celtic Sea and West of Scotland — with ICES advising that landings in 2013 should be less than 960 MT. Between January and April, price ranges reflect quality and avail- ability at between €10 to €16 ($13 to 21) per kg. Between May and July, scarcity results in prices between €18 to €25 ($23.50 to $32.70). From September to November, prices fall again to €12 to €20 ($15 to $26) per kg, while in December holiday de- mand raises prices back to €18 to €30 ($23.50 to $39) per kg. Te av- erage price for the year is around €14 to €20 ($18 to $26) on an an- nual volume of 6,000 to 7,000 kg. — Chris Dove Visit us online at www.seafoodbusiness.com 2012 2011