The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking more seafood for the US National School Lunch Program and other federal food and nutrition assistance programs for next year.
On Tuesday, the agency issued a bid asking for 405,520 pounds of salmon. It's asking for 153,520 cases of 14.75-ounce cans of sockeye salmon, and for 252,000 pounds of frozen salmon fillets for its programs.
The USDA has been ramping up its purchasing and bid requests for both wild salmon and pollock this year, following marketing groups' pleas for help with cutting an high inventories of products.
Earlier this month, the agency also issued a bid request for 230,700 pounds of Alaska pollock. It's asking for 2,700 pounds of frozen Atlantic pollock fillets, 38,000 pounds of frozen Alaska pollock fillets and 190,000 pounds of frozen Alaska pollock fish sticks.
Processors blame high levels of unsold inventory from last year's season, weak consumer demand and collapsing wholesale markets for the low prices, some of the lowest in decades.
"Crushing market shifts, cost burdens, supply chain vulnerabilities, and foreign market access challenges have caused a crisis throughout the US seafood supply chain," according to the companies.
