Alaska pollock producers are a little over a month into B season, and while catcher-processor vessels can run the fish in time to make quality products, shore-based plants are experiencing logistical challenges.

The turnaround time for vessels fishing in the north Bering Sea and then delivering fish to shore-based plants in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, is between 80-90 hours, one executive with a major fishing vessel told IntraFish. That time-lag impacts product quality.

Scientific reports on the Bering Sea are increasingly showing the region undergoing extensive changes in the marine environment as well as frozen lands, with melting ice pushing pollock farther north, according to the Washington Post.

The findings are contained in the 2019 Arctic Report Card, a major federal assessment of climate change trends and impacts throughout the region.

"Fishing the last two weeks has been slower but that can happen during the B season," another producer told IntraFish. "But that's not likely to change the outcome of the season at this point."

The B season fishing in the Bering Sea, which started June 10 and runs through October 31, is still projected to produce roughly 757,651 metric tons, the majority of it in surimi, pinbone-out fillet (PBO) and deep-skin formats, he confirmed.

Stable market thanks to frozen's surge

One bright spot for pollock is that--unlike the unstable market for Alaska salmon--its price point is not moving much despite ongoing coronavirus challenges that continue to hamper foodservice.

The average asking price for PBO fillet blocks in the B season is around $3,500 (€3,064) to $3,600 (€3,151) per metric ton, two major US producers confirmed with IntraFish.

Whitefish was a particular beneficiary of the surge in demand for frozen seafood following the UK government issuing stay-home orders earlier this year, with frozen seafood giants such as Birds Eye scrambling to provide enough product.

"The main focus for Birds Eye has been to maintain availability in the stores, where the pinch point has been since we saw such a massive increase in demand in the heart of the pandemic," Birds Eye UK General Manager Steve Challouma said during IntraFish's Digital Whitefish Panel.

Whitefish

Climate change looms over Pollock B fishing season as demand rises for product