USDA plans hefty Alaska pollock purchase, awards more than USD 1 million in catfish contracts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is asking U.S. Alaska pollock producers to bid on supplying 920,000 pounds of the fish for use in domestic food distribution programs in 2025.

Bids for the pollock are due 13 November, and winning suppliers will make deliveries between January and April 2025.

It is unclear the price the USDA will pay for 2025 pollock contracts, since pollock fillet prices have declined this year, while surimi block prices have increased.

In May, the agency paid between USD 1.69 (EUR 1.57) and USD 1.84 (EUR 1.71) per pound for bulk surimi, around USD 2.50 (EUR 2.32) per pound for frozen pollock fillets, and between USD 2.20 (EUR 2.04) and USD 2.70 (EUR 2.50) for pollock sticks.

“I believe when compared to other proteins options, USDA’s purchases of Alaska pollock provide a great value to the Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Program,” the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) CEO Craig Morris told SeafoodSource.

The USDA purchased a significant amount – more than USD 65 million (EUR 60 million) worth – of pollock in fiscal year 2024, according GAPP. The agency awarded contracts to High Liner Foods and Trident Seafoods for USD 3.76 million (EUR 3.5 million) worth of Alaska Pollock in June.

Meanwhile, the department awarded contracts to supply frozen unbreaded catfish fillets and catfish strips worth around USD 1.14 million (EUR 1 million).

Itta Bena, Mississippi, U.S.A.-based Heartland Catfish Co. was awarded a contract worth USD 722,000 (EUR 672,000), while Consolidated Catfish in Isola, Mississippi will supply around USD 414,000 (EUR 385,000) worth of catfish.