Fresh Seafood Market Update
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FishWise is a not-for-profit sustainability consultancy dedicated to raising awareness about seafood choices and ocean conservation issues among the consumer public. |
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Weekly Seafood Market Report:
Week of March 1, 2010
Truecod out of Alaska will be available throughout the week and is a good alternative to Snapper which could become scarce at points this week. Our Truecod is flown whole direct from Anchorage and cut to order for the ultimate in quality. Truecod carries a Green sustainability rating.
Local Snapper and 
Canadian Snapper will be available throughout the week but we could see periods during the week where fish become scarce as the weather has been worse than forecasted coupled with the large swell and strong current as a result of the earthquake. Prices should stay relatively stable but climb some by the weekend. We will feature both Canadian and Local product this week. Local, if available will be from the fishing vessel TKO caught off of Morro Bay. Local fish will provide the highest quality while Canadian fish will be the least expensive. Local product is rated Yellow by FishWise and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. Canadian Rockfish carries a Red or avoid sustainability rating.
Petrale will be available by throughout the week. We expect prices to continue to remain in flux dipping and surging over the next 2 weeks until the spawning cycle ends at which time the market should return to normal levels. Dover will be available Wednesday and should remain stable throughout the week. Dover will be out of Moss Landing and Petrale will be out of the San Francisco area.
Local Trap Caught Black Cod (Sablefish) production is sporadic due to the weather and large swell. Fish will be tight early in the week but availability should improve by the weekend. As always, our fish are caught and held live on boats until off loading. Quality is incredible and Black Cod is exceptionally versatile. Black Cod carries a Yellow sustainability rating.
Tuna has leveled off some as the effects of Chinese New year on the market begin to pass. Quality and grade remains excellent but we could see sporadic outages as supply remains tight. We are featuring both hand-line caught product from Hawaii for maximum quality, as well as sustainability rating and Troll caught product from Fiji due to the limited amount of Hawaiian supply. Central Coast Seafood does not sell Bluefin Tuna due to its poor sustainability rating and decreasing fish stocks. All of our Ahi is cut from Yellowfin or Bigeye. Hawaiian fish and Troll fish from Fiji carry a Yellow Sustainability rating.
Swordfish has climbed slightly from last week’s lows but should remain relatively stable throughout the week. We will be flying in Longline Sword from Hawaii and New Zealand throughout the week and fish has been excellent in terms of quality and freshness. Longline Hawaiian Sword carries a Yellow rating.
Opah availability remains inconsistent and is not expected to improve this week. Prices remain strong but could soften some by the weekend. Our product is longline caught in Hawaii and flown in for freshness. Longline Opah carries a Yellow sustainability rating.
Wahoo out of Fiji will be available throughout the week. The quality and size of the fish are excellent. Our fish are air-freighted whole and cut to order to produce the highest quality product available. Fijian Wahoo carries a Yellow sustainability rating from FishWise and Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Fresh Albacore out of Fiji will be available this week but could tighten by the weekend. Prices remain stable. All our Fijian Albacore is bled live for the ultimate in quality. Fijian Albacore is flown in daily and Handline caught for top notch freshness. Albacore carries a Green rating from FishWise.
Escolar out of Hawaii will be available throughout the week and quality remains excellent. Escolar, known and sold in Hawaii and Fiji as Walu, is exceptionally rich and versatile. Often marketed as White Tuna, Escolar is also often mistakenly called oil fish (a much lower quality and less expensive fish which is also misrepresented as Escolar). Escolar features a high oil content making it extremely versatile and forgiving. Hawaiian Escolar is rated Yellow by FishWise.
We will continue to feature Longline Mahi out of Hawaii and Handline Mahi out of Mexico this week. Prices are beginning to creep upwards as production begins to slow from its peak season. Hawaiian Longline Mahi and Handline Mexican Mahi are rated Yellow for sustainability
Australis Brand Barramundi will be available throughout the week, however we request a few days lead time for large quantity orders. Fatty, moist and delicious, barramundi have been compared to sea bass, striped bass and Tropical snapper. Australis Barramundi understands the connection between quality stewardship practices and a quality product. Through their innovative, eco-friendly operation, they have successfully brought Australia’s premier fish to the United States. Prized for its exceptional taste and versatility, Australis Barramundi carries a “Best Choice” sustainability rating from FishWiseTM and the Seafood Watch program.
White Sea Bass out of Santa Barbara continues to arrive in limited quantities. We also expect limited amounts of fish to trickle in from Mexico early in the week with supply expected to improve by the weekend. Prices of local fish remain higher than its imported counterparts but quality is the highest on the local species. Mexican fish provide the best value with prices expected to soften very slightly by the weekend. White Sea Bass is gill-net and Longline caught and carries a Green rating for sustainability.
Bluenose Sea Bass is available and remains plentiful this week. Prices remain stable with little movement up or down. Fish Quality has been exceptional and as New Zealand enters its Fall months we expect availability to be consistent. Bluenose is longline caught in New Zealand and carries a Yellow sustainability rating.
Fresh Alaskan Halibut season is now closed. As an alternative, we will defrost Alaskan Halibut this week and throughout the offseason. Defrosted fish has jumped in price as many companies have run out of product putting pressure on the small quantities of fish left to satisfy the demand until the new season opens next month. Our defrost program is carefully monitored to ensure the quality of all defrosted halibut is comparable to fresh. Fish are thawed in a bubbling oxygen tank, with close attention kept on temperature and defrost rate to ensure top quality product. The prices are reasonable compared to fresh product. Alaskan Halibut carries a Green rating through FishWise/Seafood Watch.
Yellowtail out of Mexico will be available throughout the week. Quality has been exceptional with fish averaging close to 20# each. Our fish are Longline caught and handled with care. Yellowtail provides one of the best values available this week. Yellowtail is rated Yellow for sustainability.
California Halibut out of Baja will be available for the weekend but will be tight early in the week. Prices have crept up slightly as demand in Mexico has increased as a result of Lent slowing down the amount of available export fish. We will also feature limited amounts of local product, which while more expensive is the highest quality product available and caught with far more care for the marine environment. California Halibut is rated Yellow for sustainability.
Local Sushi Halibut out of Morro Bay and Port San Luis will be available again this week in limited quantities from fisherman Steve Snyder. Our fish are bled live and handled with extreme care for the ultimate in quality. Local Halibut carries a Yellow sustainability rating through FishWise and Seafood Watch.
Lingcod ill be limited for the week because of poor weather conditions. Our Lingcod is long-line caught, purchased whole and cut to order to produce the freshest product possible. Quality is exceptional. Lingcod carries a Yellow sustainability rating.
Defrosted Alaskan Sockeye Salmon will be available this week. These fish are an excellent alternative for customers wishing to avoid farmed fish and enjoy the benefits of wild fish during the off season. As most customers experienced last year, our fish are defrosted slowly and cut from Whole fish to ensure top quality. Prices are up slightly from last season’s levels as the wild season was not as strong this year, but prices remain reasonably close to those of farmed fish. Alaskan Coho and Sockeye Salmon are rated Green through FishWise/Seafood Watch.
Farmed Natural King Salmon out of Canada are available. Product quality is high and fish are hormone and anti-biotic free. As with all farmed salmon, farmed kings carry a Red sustainability rating
Loch Duart farmed Scottish Salmon and Huon Tasmanian Farmed Salmon are available throughout the week. Prices have climbed slightly as the weakness of the dollar impacts exchange rates. Both farms are renowned for their quality and exceptional approach to minimizing environmental impact as well as being hormone and anti-biotic free. As with all farmed salmon, Loch Duart Salmon carry a Red sustainability rating.
Farmed Atlantic Salmon prices have risen slightly as small fish (6-8 pounds) have become scarce leaving only more expensive larger fish available to fillet. Central Coast Seafood will not carry Chilean product as the quality of that fish does not meet our specifications. As with all farmed salmon, Canadian Atlantic Salmon carry a Red sustainability rating.
Bronzini and Dorade are available and being flown in from Greece. Prices have begun to soften as demand and the continued low value of the Euro play a factor in shaping the market. Both species are chill-killed to ensure maximum quality and farmed using environmentally sound practices. Bronzini and Dorade are both rated Yellow for sustainability.
We are proud to feature Tropical brand Fresh Tilapia flown in daily from Ecuador. This exceptional mild whitefish is very versatile and provides a consistent quality product that is available year round. Rain Forest Tilapia is rated Yellow by FishWiseTM and provides an exceptional value.
Arctic Char will be available for the weekend and is being flown in from the East Coast. Moist in flesh and delicate in flavor, Arctic Char is described as a cross between trout and salmon. Farmed Arctic Char is also rated Green by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and FishWiseTM. Slightly more mild than salmon, Arctic Char can be used in all applications suited for salmon and is an excellent alternative to farmed salmon.
Local Thresher Shark is arriving sporadically as by-catch. While Shark is rated Red through FishWiseTM/Seafood Watch, we use only common California Thresher and Mako shark which are the best managed fisheries available. We also only receive Thresher as an incidental catch species and do not ask our fishermen to target shark due to its poor sustainability rating.
Fresh Picked Dungeness Crab Meat out of Washington is available in 5# and 1# containers. Prices have declined some as availability improves.
Laughing Bird Shrimp from Belize will be available throughout the week. Years of thoughtful environmental design went into producing this remarkable, candy sweet shrimp that is favored by seafood lovers. Processed and chilled moments after harvest, these all natural, hormone free, anti-biotic free shrimp contain no preservatives. Each shrimp is hand peeled with care to ensure superior quality. Laughing Bird Shrimp carries a Yellow sustainability rating.
Scallops will be available throughout the week but prices have strengthened significantly on the largest sizes due to the limited supply that is typical with this time of year. U6 and U8 sizes will NOT be available for the next few months as production of larger sizes has slowed significantly limiting availability. We have also added ½ gallon containers (4#) for those customers needing an alternative to full gallon size containers. We buy direct and fly our product in for top quality and value. We feature Dry Pack (no preservatives added) as well as Processed product.
Mexican Mano De Leon Scallops will be available this week but prices have taken a large jump as only limited production is available over the next 2 months. Quality and freshness has been excellent. These extremely large scallops are also dry pack and diver caught for quality.
Fanny Bay, Chef Creek, Dabob, Royal Myagi, Malpaque, Blue Point, and Beausoleil Oysters will all be available.