Wild salmon season in the Pacific Northwest continues to have an excellent year! We have great prices on Wild King Salmon from Alaska and Columbia River. Sockeye season has passed it’s peak and we will continue the remainder of wild salmon season with Wild Coho into October.
Many halibut fisherman switched gears to join the wild salmon harvest. This creates a shortage of Alaskan halibut, as we’ve seen a recent uptick in pricing. The tables are turning back again to Halibut, and in mid-September pricing will most likely be at it’s lowest. Pacific Halibut season ends in early November, so there is plenty of time to enjoy this sustainable fish. Overall, Halibut and Wild Salmon prices have been excellent this year!
Wild Sturgeon are becoming available in the Lower Columbia River. These Sturgeon are a fall harvested fishery and can vary in size from 8 – 30#.
Black cod, or sablefish have a soft and succulent white flesh that retains moisture and captures flavors when cooked. The supply of Black Cod follows the halibut season, but the quantity available for harvest is far less, and the fishing is more difficult. If the fisherman can find them, we anticipate sablefish to be available thru late fall.
Black Seabass average 1.5 – 2# and are day boat caught, making for an exceptional sushi grade or cooked fish. Black Seabass regulations are managed daily, and fishing can shut down without warning. Take advantage of this great fish when available!
Bang Island Mussels from Maine are a premium farmed mussel with a larger fill of meat per shell than a traditional PEI mussel. Give these premium Mussels a try!
Bluefin Tuna season is now, but fisheries managers have called an emergency shutdown to assess the welfare of Bluefin Tuna stocks. The North Atlantic fishery will open again Sept. 1st with a new quota. These are highly regulated tuna, available in a very limited quantity and caught one at a time. The average size fish is 250 pounds. If interested in purchasing a whole fish, please let us know. This season normally ends in late fall.
Swordfish prices and quality of meat tends to get better as the weather gets colder. Grand Banks swordfish can be some of the best swordfish of the year.
Lobster Meat and Live Lobster prices are starting to rise in the North Atlantic. Maine lobster in the summer shed their shells and grow new ones, these “new shell” lobster is cheaper in price, but don’t survive the high-altitude flight to Colorado. Northeast Seafood supplies its customers with Canadian premium hard-shell lobster to ensure that you have a lively product upon delivery.
Blue Crab season continues in Chesapeake Bay till sometime in September. Scientist with the Maryland Dept of Natural Resources are saying that there is a population boom of Blue Crab this year, the largest population in the last 7 years. Fisherman however have not caught an abundance of soft shell crab, the prices remain high and supplies are limited. The combination of a large population and small catch rate may lead to some great years ahead for Blue Crabs.
Summer season can lead to a shorter shelf-life for shellfish. Manilla Clams are the most affected by the warm waters of the west coast. We anticipate limited availability of manila clams till mid-September. A great substitute are cockle clams from the cold waters of New Zealand, or Cortez clams and Venus Clams native to Baja, California. Baja Shellfish have an excellent high salinity making for a very briny flavor found nowhere else. We like the area so much we are also bringing in Kumiai oysters and Whales Cove mussels from Baja as well!
Southern California and Baja areas have been catching California Halibut, California White Seabass, and Live Diver caught Uni. As the seasons change so does this fishery, get it while it’s available!
Mexican White Shrimp season starts in September. Known for their premium quality, firm texture and nice flavor, we plan to keep Mex White Shrimp available year-round for our customers.
We’ve been getting a nice supply of Mexican Bay Scallops this summer. We are not sure how long this season will go, take advantage of these delicious and affordable scallops while available.
King Kampachi from La Paz, Mexico is an excellent fish for sushi or cooking, and the price is amazing! These are the same farmers as Hawaiian Kampachi, but have relocated and dramatically reduced their costs. Now King Kampachi competes at the same price as our local Colorado Striped Bass. Both are sushi grade, available year round, and excellent center of the plate options.
As we transition to fall and winter starts in the north, wild fish seasons will tighten for many species. The harvests of fresh vegetables changes and many people start looking to local farmers for new options. Our local Colorado Striped bass farmer (Co Catch) and Idaho trout farmer (Riverence) are always a reliable source for high quality product.
The summer sun is setting earlier and rising later. Take advantage of what’s left of our short summer. We appreciate you choosing Northeast for your seafood needs!
Chad Pettrone
Sustainability Director
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