•Fish Factor

quired to use twine that is biodegradable to allow crabs to escape in the event of lost gear.

The crab association also plans to try and market the catch as Kodiak Tanner crab highlighting the facts that it is bigger than Tanners from other Alaska regions and caught by local fishermen.

More BOF juggles

The state Board of Fisheries, or BOF for short, meetings are not only dealing with COVID-19 derailments, but also by conflicts from fishery openers. Increasing COVID infection rates caused the board to postpone its meeting set for January 4-15 in Ketchikan, where it planned to address 157 Southeast and Yakutat fish and shellfish proposals, and move it to March 10-22 at the Egan Center in Anchorage. Those dates occur at the same time that halibut, sablefish and herring fisheries will be underway, and the busy Southeast troll fishery for winter king salmon is wrapping up.

“It leaves trollers with a really nowin choice of staying in town or going to Anchorage or getting that last trip in between the 10th and the 15th of March, which last year was the most lucrative trip of the winter season,” Matt Donohoe told KFSK in Petersburg. To accommodate the tail end of the troll fishery, the BOF will take up salmon related commercial, sport, subsistence and personal use proposals from March 18 - 22. “Placing salmon-related issues at the end of the meeting also better aligns participants with the board’s Hatchery Committee which was and remains scheduled in Anchorage on a new date of March 23,” said board director Glenn Haight in announcing the changes.

The tentative order to accommodate other fishing openers is March 10-13 for herring and March 14-17 for groundfish and shellfish. In recognition of the difficulties for some Southeast residents to travel to Anchorage, the board will take remote public testimony at select ADF&G Southeast offices. Locations will be announced prior to the meeting but people wishing to testify remotely must sign-up by March 3. An online registration platform will soon be posted on the BOF meeting page.

The board also has rescheduled its statewide shellfish meeting to March 26-April 2 in Anchorage where it will consider 45 proposals.

The meetings are open to the public and a live audio stream will be available on the BOF website. Written comments for the Southeast meeting has been extended and can be submitted by email at dfg.bof.comments@alaska.gov by Feb. 23.

Seafood again sets sales records

Sales of frozen and fresh seafood in the U.S. hit all-time highs in 2021, primarily driven by inflation. SeafoodSource reports that retail sales surpassed 2019 and 2020 as more Americans opted for seafood due to its proven health benefits.

Data from market trackers IRI and 210 Analytics showed fresh fish sales climbed 6.4 percent in 2021 compared to 2020 and a whopping 25.5 percent versus 2019, topping $7 billion. Fresh shellfish sales rose 0.5 percent versus 2020 and 37.6 percent from 2019.

Frozen seafood sales rose 2.8 percent compared to 2020 and soared by nearly 41 percent from 2019, reaching $7.2 billion.

Sales of canned or other “shelfstable” seafood declined 11.4 percent in 2021; however, the category still produced $2.5 billion for the year.

The consumer price index increased 6.8 percent through November 2021, the highest since June 1982, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In December 2021, the average price per unit across all food and beverage sales was up 8.3 percent compared to December 2020.

Frozen seafood prices rose 4.2 percent per unit and 5.7 percent per volume for the year. Fresh seafood prices increased 6.8 percent in 2021 and dollar sales increased 1.8 percent.

“Robust demand got fresh seafood very close to the ‘new record’ finish line and inflation pushed it to new records,” said Anne-Marie Roerink of 210 Analytics.

Fish watch - The largest harvest ever of 45,164 tons (90.3 million pounds) is set for the 2022 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery, which typically opens in March. Likewise, a record 65,107 tons of roe herring (130.2 million pounds) can be taken at Togiak in Bristol Bay, the state’s largest herring fishery that usually begins in May.