Spring begins March 20th on the Equinox, when the sun is directly in line with the Earth’s equator. Will you see your shadow at high noon on March 20th?
Lent continues through March 29th and is a popular time for Friday fish specials.
Continuous Nor’easter storms are becoming a limiting factor for East Coast oysters and fish. A Nor’easter is a term coined by east coast residents to describe the strong coastal storms that linger with often cold wet snow and strong winds blowing from the Northeast. With wild seafood we can never control the weather and apologize if we are temporarily out of your favorites from the East Coast.
Maine Lobster fishing this time of year is dismal. Lobster won’t crawl far for food, so fishing success is limited with traps. Canada has a couple fishing sectors open in Nova Scotia but it’s not a lobstering time of year. The waters off St. John will open 3-31, and New Foundland open April 20th. Current live lobster prices are up till at least the end of March.
Our current inventory levels are good for frozen Lobster meat and snow crab. We will receive new frozen product in May when the season is in full gear.
Farmed Salmon prices are on the rise. These higher prices reflect the slow winter growth cycles that are normal for the industry. We anticipate prices to come back down after Lent.
We have brought in a new Atlantic Salmon from Iceland called Una Salmon. These salmon are family owned and cared for by a small coastal community in Eagle’s Fjord. The fish are grown to larger sizes of 7-8kg, or 8-9kg. They are fed a GMO free diet and are never treated with antibiotics. This results in a healthy and firm sushi grade salmon that remains moist when cooked. More info here: http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/cfc9d9_ea63dabc91b1453eb9ec3fc678ff5725.pdf
Grouper catch has been limited as this time of year there is a moratorium that closes many areas for fish spawning. This closing protects future generations of grouper for years to come. Alternative large white meat fish include: Golden Tilefish, Wild Striped Bass, Corvina Seabass, California White Seabass, or Barramundi. As we move into the warmer months we will see more fish varieties become available. Smaller sized 5-8# Shortfin Corvina run into the Gulf of California this time of year and become very plentiful at an excellent price. This is the best time of year for California Halibut. The fish are caught from Mexico up through California and offer a lesser priced alternative to their northern cousin the Pacific Halibut.
Pacific Halibut Season opens March 24th and ends November 7th. We anticipate the season to open at reasonable prices because there remains a market surplus of frozen Halibut from 2017. The Halibut fishery extends from the lower U.S. through Alaska, including Canada. Halibut Season brings fisherman out to sea catching more than their targeted share of Halibut. Halibut bi-catch often includes Sablefish / Black Cod as well as Pacific Cod, bringing more fish to market and creating a consistent supply.
On the East Coast, Nova Scotia Halibut prices are very reasonable! You don’t have to wait till Alaskan Halibut season opens to get fresh Halibut on the menu! Wild Striped Bass from Chesapeake Bay are running now and at a good price. The price of Wild Stripers seems to follow the migration route North. The further North the fish migrate, the further north the price goes. Please take advantage now, while we have great prices and nice big fish.
Dungeness Crab season has fully opened in California, Washington, and Oregon but some fisheries were put on hold for domoic acid levels. Supplies have been a little sporadic, but we anticipate consistency in whole cooked and fresh Dungeness crab meat.
As we turn the page into Spring and leave what little winter we had behind, we hope this gives you a great road map to your spring menu selection.
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