--- The Prince William Sound Pollock test fishery began last week and the first harvests are in! A Test Fishery is a pre-season trial run to test criterium like biomass, age class, bycatch volumes, and fish size. 900,000 lbs of Pollock were allowed to be caught in this initial test fishery, with the contracts awarded to the two top bidders. We have a Tradex Exclusive from our Quality Control Manager who has monitored the first landings at a large Alaska Pollock Processor's Plant. Processors are disappointed as fishing has been EXTREMELY slow and most fish are smaller than they are used to. The first Pollock offload comprised mostly of H&G fish between 500 and 650 grams, about 56 percent of the total catch. Fish this size would produce 4-6oz Skinless Boneless fillets at 28 percent recovery from the round. Our data from the second offload show a stronger precense of smaller sized fish - as we anticipated - with 36 percent of the catch falling into a size suitable for 2-4oz fillet production. So what do all of these numbers mean for buyers? Those searching for larger sized fillets will be out of luck, as about 80 percent of the test fishery harvests so far will produce fillets under 6 ounces. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has set the Gulf of Alaska Pollock quota at 258,000 metric tonnes, which is about 30 percent higher than in 2015. The Russian TAC has also increased and raw material pricing has dropped to about $1100 per metric tonne. Downward pressure on twice frozen products and increased raw material availability will create opportunities for value-priced fillets in 2016, especially on smaller sizes. First of the Season Shatterpacked Pollock fillets in 2015 were around $2.10 / LB FOB Seattle. It's too early to say where the market will start THIS year as fish just reached the plant on Saturday for processing. ---Our TradexLIVE offer of the week is for A Season 8-16oz Alaska Cod Fillets. These are #1 quality, shatterpacked 3x15 and are in Seattle for $3.80 / LB. Click or tap the icon above to view this offer. --- Processors in the Bering Sea are delighted to see larger sized cod landings as their neighbours in the Gulf of Alaska receiving extremely small fish. Processors along the Aleutian Islands have been able to offer larger sizes like the 16/32s. The market is short on larger sized cod fillets right now, so buyers should take advantage of any offers they come across. Current pricing is $3.95 / LB FOB Seattle on 16/32 shatterpacked fillets. ----Thank you for joining me for the Tradex Foods "3-Minute Market Insight" This is Kyla Ganton - “BUY SMART” and “EAT MORE SEAFOOD

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