The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) intends to purchase USD 119.5 million (EUR 109 million) worth of Alaskan sockeye salmon and Pacific groundfish for federal food assistance programs, according to Alaska’s congressional delegation.
“USDA’s purchase of Alaska seafood is great news for our fishing industry and all who depend on federal food assistance,” U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said in a statement. “Alaskan fishermen stand ready to help feed their communities, and these purchases provide them the perfect opportunity to bring healthy Alaskan seafood to the tables of families who need it most.”
The seafood will be purchased through USDA’s Section 32 program, which supports domestic producers by buying surplus food products for low-income food assistance initiatives.
Of the total, USD 67.5 million (EUR 61.5 million) will go toward Alaska sockeye salmon products, with up to USD 37.5 million (EUR 34.2 million) for canned salmon and up to USD 30 million (EUR 27.3 million) for frozen sockeye filet portions.
Last year, Bristol Bay, Alaska, U.S.A. set an all-time record, with a reported run of more than 76 million a catch of more than 60 million sockeye. With another massive run expected in 2023, processors, distributers, retailers are running promotions to help wind down their inventories.
In September 2022, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) sent a request to USDA, asking the agency to buy 5 million pounds of frozen sockeye fillets, 700,000 cases of canned sockeye products, and 50 million pounds of Alaska pollock products for the Section 32 program. Such a massive purchase would help address the unusually high inventory of sockeye as the industry prepares for 2023, it said.
After not hearing back from the agency, Alaska’s congressional delegation sent a letter to the USDA in March 2023 to push forward ASMI’s request and implore USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to take action.
“The hardworking men and women of the Alaska pollock and salmon sectors are ready and able to supply large volumes of protein to meet the needs of millions of food insecure individuals. At the same time, coastal communities in Alaska and thousands of Alaskan small businesses and their associated fishing families will benefit,” the delegation wrote in the letter.
A separate letter from U.S. West Coast trade groups and legislators suggested that additional USDA purchases were needed to offset the impact of the war in Ukraine on seafood exports.
Now, the legislators have confirmed that USDA will be purchasing USD 119.5 million worth of sockeye and pollock from Alaska producers for the program.
“Food insecurity affects nearly a quarter of Americans,” U.S. Representative Mary Peltola (D-AK) said. “We need to respond with every tool at our disposal. These purchases of high-quality Alaskan seafood, including sockeye salmon, will provide essential nutrition while also supporting our world-class fisheries.”