The U.S. Department of Agriculture is dipping into the big 2022 Alaska sockeye salmon harvest with a plan for purchasing up to $67.5 million of Alaska sockeye salmon products, with up to $37.5 million for canned and $30 million for frozen sockeye filet portions, according to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.
At the kitchen table level, that amounts to about 52 million 4-ounce servings, according to an press release from ASMI.
“This is great news for the Alaska sockeye sector and food insecure Americans around the country, who will benefit from these nutritious and desirable products through USDA’s food and nutrition programs this year. The official USDA announcement is expected within days,” according to ASMI.
The USDA buy will relieve some pressure from current large inventories of canned and frozen products as harvesters and processors move into the upcoming 2023 summer harvest season.
The 2022 sockeye salmon season saw record-setting returns, and the industry asked ASMI to help moving the significant inventory of sockeye salmon.
“As with other requests for pink salmon and Alaska pollock purchases, ASMI initiated requests of the Secretary of Agriculture for assistance under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935,” according to the institute.
