The Alaska King Crab season has begun. Well, actually the season opened to "set" the gear on Sat. the 15th, but the boats remained tied to the dock until yesterday.
The reason? Price. Its always about the money. Seems that the processors are only offering $3.50 per pound "on the ticket." That means that the boats go out with that set as the price, and they will arbitrate any upwards movement. The fishermen are not holding their breath on any decent increase.
Amazing, isn't it ? Especially when you consider what the price was on the first season of the Deadliest Catch. Seems the processors have the fishery by the short hairs. Thanks a lot there for THAT one Sen. Stevens. That brings the earnings down again in an already stressed industry. Let's see - fewer boats, fewer crew, less income per person....bet your towns like that.
Another piece of the pricing structure puzzle is the heavy influx of red crab from the Barents Sea. This is NOT Alaskan King Crab, it is primarily Russian. Unfortuneatly, it is labeled, marketed and then sold as such. Until and unless the distribution chain, from the processors to the retailers, are hammered with heavy fines or suspension of their licenses, it will continue. That is until the countries strip mining their resources finish them off.
What can you do? As a consumer and a fan of the Deadliest Catch, make certain that you only buy your crab from a safe source. How do you do that? Simple - ask and then verify. There are many markets out there and a common sense approach will lead you to a good one. Don't let price be your only guide - remember that quality is not expensive, it's priceless!
I have discovered that the folks from the F/V Maverick have started up a seafood company:
www.maverickseafoods.com
I would bet its a great place to start.
Stay tuned!
<' )))>-{
The reason? Price. Its always about the money. Seems that the processors are only offering $3.50 per pound "on the ticket." That means that the boats go out with that set as the price, and they will arbitrate any upwards movement. The fishermen are not holding their breath on any decent increase.
Amazing, isn't it ? Especially when you consider what the price was on the first season of the Deadliest Catch. Seems the processors have the fishery by the short hairs. Thanks a lot there for THAT one Sen. Stevens. That brings the earnings down again in an already stressed industry. Let's see - fewer boats, fewer crew, less income per person....bet your towns like that.
Another piece of the pricing structure puzzle is the heavy influx of red crab from the Barents Sea. This is NOT Alaskan King Crab, it is primarily Russian. Unfortuneatly, it is labeled, marketed and then sold as such. Until and unless the distribution chain, from the processors to the retailers, are hammered with heavy fines or suspension of their licenses, it will continue. That is until the countries strip mining their resources finish them off.
What can you do? As a consumer and a fan of the Deadliest Catch, make certain that you only buy your crab from a safe source. How do you do that? Simple - ask and then verify. There are many markets out there and a common sense approach will lead you to a good one. Don't let price be your only guide - remember that quality is not expensive, it's priceless!
I have discovered that the folks from the F/V Maverick have started up a seafood company:
www.maverickseafoods.com
I would bet its a great place to start.
Stay tuned!
<' )))>-{
No comments:
Post a Comment