By Atuna.com
U.S. fishermen who catch MSC certified North Pacific albacore tuna are reporting higher domestic sales, thanks to the growing demand for the sustainable product from high-end supermarkets.
Domestic sales have increased from 5% three years ago to more than 25% today for members of the Western Fishboat Owners Association (WFOA), which represents the North Pacific albacore industry.
Back in 2010, the WFOA albacore troll and pole-and-line fishery was awarded the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. Since then, the majority of the tuna has been exported to overseas markets, but with shipping costs higher than the value of the tuna and slow demand from Japan this year, more effort is being directed to the U.S. market.
Not only is there more demand for sashimi grade fish in the U.S., but the albacore prices might hold up better there compared to Spain – another popular destination – where the economic crisis means the price has dropped 5-10% from last year. Still, it remains 25% higher than in 2010.
Unlike the price for skipjack tuna which has climbed significantly in the past few years, the price for albacore has decreased on average year-on-year worldwide.
On average, this year’s ex-vessel price for basic cannery grade albacore is USD 2,600 to USD 2,800 per ton, whereas last year the range was USD 2,700 to USD 3,100.
Sashimi grade tuna prices have also decreased, from USD 3,800 to USD 5,500 last year to USD 3,800 to USD 4,300 this year.
Iced fresh fish remains the same, at USD 3,000 per ton this year and last.
Canned albacore supplier, Wild Pacific Seafoods, is also noticing higher demand for MSC certified troll caught albacore. The company is currently designing new packaging for its 3.5 and 7.5 ounce tuna cans that will display the MSC label.
The U.S. West Coast troll fleet landed about 11,000 tons of albacore last year and is expected to catch the same volume this year, which is about average. The Canadian fleet, which landed about 5,500 tons last year, was not allowed to fish in U.S. territorial waters in 2012, which means the sustainable albacore supply will be limited.