Prices were up by $2 per pound for Alaska’s first fresh halibut for the first week of the fishery which began March 6.
Most of the halibut crossed the docks at the Southeast ports of Juneau, Petersburg and Wrangell where prices were reportedly in the “$7 range.”
Prices to fishermen delivering to Central Region ports reportedly ranged from $7.25/lb to $7.75 for 40 ups. That compares to starting prices in 2021 in the $5.25 to $5.75 range.
Statewide halibut deliveries by March 14 totaled just over 319,000, on par with last year’s pace.
Alaska halibut catches get a boost in all but one area
The coast wide catch for the 2022 Pacific halibut fishery, ranging from the west coast states to British Columbia to the far reaches of the Bering Sea, was increased by 5.7% this year to 41.22 million pounds.
Alaska always gets the lion’s share of the commercial halibut harvest which for 2022 is 21.51 million pounds, a nearly 10% increase. Expectations for a good fishery are high and “rumors of opening dock prices around $8.00/lb have folks very excited,” said Alaska Boats and Permits in its weekly Fish Ticket report from Homer.
The average dock price for Alaska halibut in 2021 was $6.40/lb.
The coast wide catch for the 2022 Pacific halibut fishery, ranging from the west coast states to British Columbia to the far reaches of the Bering Sea, was increased by 5.7% this year to 41.22 million pounds. All Alaska fishing regions except for Southeast were increased.
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