Alaska pollock PBO production falls as producers hone in on premium format used by US fast-food chains

Despite a significant increase in total allowable catch (TAC) compared to last year, Alaska pollock's production of pinbone-out (PBO) fillets will not reach last year's total, Ron Rogness, an economic consultant with US trade association Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP), said at the trade association's annual meeting in Seattle Thursday.

Through Sept. 16, PBO fillets produced totaled 77,762 metric tons, a decrease of 12 percent compared to 2022 totals. PBO as a percentage of total catch is also declining, being replaced by high-value deep-skinned fillet products for domestic use, the data showed.