USDA Releases Bids to Purchase Alaska Seafood

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released bids for purchasing Alaska seafood, supplying its food and nutrition programs while also providing a market outlet for a struggling industry.

Canned Salmon and Pollock Products

At the request of the seafood industry, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) initiated requests of the Secretary of Agriculture for assistance under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935. This program assists US agricultural food markets by purchasing commodities to relieve market surpluses.

The purchase consists of more than 1.4 million cases of canned Alaska pink salmon, 300,000 cases of canned Alaska sockeye salmon, and 15 million pounds of Alaska pollock fish sticks and fillets. Each case of salmon consists of twenty-four cans, regardless of size. All of the pink salmon will be in “tall” cans that contain 14.75 oz, and the sockeye salmon will be split between the 14.75 oz “talls” and the smaller 7.5 oz “halves.”