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July 29, 2011

The beginning of August is also referred to as ‘The dog days of summer’ due to the heat (as if it could be any hotter!). This is the time of year that we keep our eyes open for hurricanes developing on the east coast, south Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico and their effect on seafood. August begins new quotas on certain species and fisheries and changes in open areas for others.

Look for Grouper to be available the first couple of weeks of August at roughly the same prices but imports start drying up as the Mexican fleet starts fitting their boats for octopus fishing. This will affect availability and therefore the price of grouper which will probably rise.

There is a strong Striped Bass fishery in New England and landings are very good this year. Prices are down tremendously for next week. It is a quota system so we should be able to see decent prices on Wild Striped Bass until approximately the 3rd week of August when the quota will probably be reached

Traditionally in August, fishermen in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska begin Halibut fishing since the money catch of King and Sockeye Salmon start to disappear in Alaska. The trouble with Alaskan Halibut during this time of year is that they tend to have a lot of chalk in them so good quality Halibut is always a struggle in August. We should have more fish from the maritime provinces of Canada during this time.

We are starting to see a good supply of Imported Snapper, depending on weather, in Central and South America.

There should be good supplies all month of Swordfish and Tuna from New England, Canada and the Caribbean. We should see good amounts of Tuna from all over with good landings of Bluefin Tuna as well from New England and Nova Scotia.

For King Salmon, the emphasis switches to the lower 48. There is a Columbia River opening scheduled for the end of next week. Troll Kings off of the Oregon and Washington coast should pick up, as well as Kings out of Puget Sound.

There is a possibility that we will see Frazier River Sockeyes again at the end of August. We should have Sockeyes for at least the first 3 weeks of August, regardless, and Cohos will become a stronger presence in the marketplace. A good season is predicted for Wild Coho out of Alaska this year.

Many areas of Scotland and Norway close for vacation during August so Atlantic Salmon from those areas should be tighter than normal.

As long as the weather stays good in the south Atlantic and the Gulf, August is the time of year that we receive an abundance of by-catch, in small quantities, like Tripletail, Cobia, Wahoo, Pink Snapper, Onagas and other various types of fish. It is wise to ask what is new and different each day for special fish.

Due to the weakening dollar, we are seeing increases in Loup de Mer and Dorade as the majority will be sold to Europe where the stronger Euro prevails.

The beginning of August also opens up a section of the North Atlantic that has been closed to Scallop fishing with increased quotas. This should mean a price reduction in U/10’s and possibly U/12’s, as fishing in the previously closed areas means that the scallops will be quite large. Unfortunately, this is the worst time of year for Scallops as they tend to be milky.

We should start to see New Shell Lobsters become more firm so we can start selling them at a reduced price next month. We should also see a reduction in price of Jumbo Lobster Meat, Frozen Lobster Meat and Frozen Lobster Tails.
*We will be featuring a 4-5 oz Maine Lobster Tails at a reduced price all month! This is the biggest bargain in the industry right now.

The Beef market is unstable and much of it depends on foreign export right now. Prices are fairly steady for the time being but, in our opinion, if the economy worsens we will see less of a demand on Rib Eyes, Tenderloins and Striploins so these items will be a better bargain for next month.