MORE halibut should soon be appearing on UK retail markets in the next few weeks, helping to ease the high prices that have been a feature since the start of the year.
The reason is that the 2010 Alaska halibut and black cod - otherwise known as staplefish - has opened. However, buyers may have to wait because the first few days high winds badly affected fishing and catches were down.
The quotas for halibut have been set at just over 40 million pounds ( about 18 million kilos) and some of this will be finding its way onto British wholesale and retail markets. Up to now most of the halibut and turbot has either come from fish farms in Norway and wild halibut from the North Atlantic, but it has been very expensive selling for up to £10 a kilo on markets like Grimsby.
Alaska is home to over 75 per cent of the wild Pacific halibut and is also one of the most sustainable and plentiful species around - in fact Alaska it's only state to have sustainability language written into its Constitution.
Alaska says it has been dedicated to sustainable seafood for more than 50 years . Alaska Seafood says: "It’s so essential to our way of life that our Constitution has a mandate that "fish be utilized, developed and maintained on the sustained yield principle. The seafood industry is Alaska’s largest private sector employer. As a result, we Alaskans understand the need to protect the fisheries and surrounding habitats for future generations. We’re proud of our leadership in sustainable management which has led to an ever-replenishing supply of wild seafood for markets around the world."
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
