Following a bumpy Alaska pollock season, US harvesters are eager to make up for lost volume in the lesser-known Pacific hake, or whiting, fishery. But like other industries post-pandemic, the companies are facing supply issues and strong market demand.
Pacific hake is in particularly high demand this year due to gaps in Alaska pollock production caused by COVID outbreaks at inshore plants during the early months of the Alaska pollock "A" season in the Bering Sea.
That season finished with producers catching up on production for nearly all major product forms except for pinbone-out (PBO) fillet blocks, and was one of the most disruptive periods in the sector's history.
