04.11.08
Posted in Friday Fish Forecast at 2:26 pm by Will Ware
Alaska King Salmon is going to be a rather high commodity this year. From California to Washington, cutbacks and fishing seasons are on hold until further notice for this season…with the exception to the Columbia River which is predicted to have a large run this year.
What about Alaska? Alaska will see its own cutbacks this year as well. We are cut over 40% of our Kings for this year as well? Why? While although our catches here in Alaska aren’t salmon that will eventually make their way that far south, the same ocean conditions that are contributing to the lower 48′s decline in salmon numbers, are contributing to a reduction in this years projected return to Alaska. However, there is some good news. Oceanographers (Sp) are assuring State biologists that there is a turn in these ocean conditions that should lead us back to seeing high numbers of salmon returning after this year.
What does that do for the fisherman…they get paid higher dollar amounts for their product, although finding them may prove to be a lot tougher. For the consumer…expect higher prices for the most premium of salmon…the King Salmon.
Permalink
04.09.08
Posted in Talking Fish at 1:19 pm by Will Ware
Tonka Seafoods is located on the beautiful Sing Lee Alley bridge, straight across from the Son’s Of Norway Hall. What this location has does for us is to give us a close proximity to the harbors so that we are close to the fisherman and their catch. It also places us in one of the most beautiful spots in town as shown on the previous posts of the Eagles.
However, what I’ve also found is that locals don’t come down this way to do their shopping. Our shop is slightly out of the way of main street. While although we are the main walk for tourists coming off the cruise ships, we don’t get too much local business. For those locals who do travel down this street on a nice walk to the restaurant, they are always pleasantly surprised at our incredible gifts and product. All in all, we can’t complain about our location.
When your in Petersburg, be sure to stop by and say hello. If your local, remember to come check us out for your seafood and gift giving needs.
Permalink
04.05.08
Posted in Talking Fish at 7:10 pm by Will Ware
This past winter we bought a good amount of Alaskan Spot Prawns. These are very large shrimp that have a taste and texture very similar to the Northeast Lobster, which is very sweet. We thought that we would have no problem moving them prior to buying them, but found that many wholesalers like the shrimp fresh and not frozen at sea like we bought. Why this was and is perplexing to me is that shrimp frozen at sea comes out as a much better product than fresh as Frozen At Sea (FAS) is frozen usually within an hour of being caught. Contrast this to fresh, which is usually held for 1-2 days on ice prior to delivery. Then we buy them, box them, and ship them to Seattle where they would wait another day or two until sold. I need to also say that this fresh shrimp is still by no means a bad product, just in my opinion not as good as FAS.
With that said, you all benefit because we have a good amount of high quality, good priced Alaskan Spot Prawns on sale right now. Check out our website to take advantage of the best tasting shrimp in the world. www.TonkaSeafoods.com
I’ll have some good Prawn recipes on this week.
Permalink
Posted in Friday Fish Forecast at 3:54 pm by Will Ware
Well, the inevitable has finally happened. The record high prices of King Salmon has finally begun to fall. Allow me to point out that the price is still higher than they ever were last year. Why the drop? Well, a couple of reasons. First, the Columbia River net fishery went off this week bringing in thousands of pounds into the Northwest market. Second, volumes of winter Kings are hitting the docks here in Alaska…finally.
The Columbia river Kings are nice fish, but nowhere near the quality of our Alaskan troll Kings. Still, having the same species competing with our ours will drive prices down regardless of quality.
The good news is that I don’t think that prices will go down too far too fast. I anticipate that Kings will maintain a higher price all year. So to all our fisherman, stay out there and make us all some money.
Permalink
04.02.08
Posted in Talking Fish at 12:02 pm by Will Ware
In a previous post, I mentioned that Tonka Seafoods has been in business for over twenty years focusing on Custom Processing, which includes smoking and canning. However, over this past year we have begun focusing on the fresh wholesale market due to the demand for Wild Alaskan Seafood in the lower 48.
Last winter was the first winter Tonka has aggressively gone after Winter Kings. What this has done is to create a stronger competition here in Petersburg that has always been lagging for these prized catches. For the first time in years, prices to the fisherman for winter kings here in Petersburg has been competitive with what the fisherman in Sitka are getting.
With that said, we have been playing around with the idea of working with Pacific Cod as the demand for the whitefish is there due to the price of Halibut being so high. Combine this with the slowness of our winter months, it would seem to be not such a bad idea. If there is any draw back, it has to be in the processing of them. The return is so bad and the bones so tough that it almost makes a guy think twice. However, it has kept us busy the last couple weeks. My dad would say, “Work is work. Take it when you can get it.”
Permalink
04.01.08
Posted in Talking Fish at 11:41 am by Will Ware
This past winter I placed an order with a company to purchase some Tonka Seafoods t-shirts and hats. I also purchased some additional t-shirts that say “Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat Farmed Salmon.” They are an interesting color…jury still out on the color.
Well, they arrived this week. As soon as my partner Seth saw them, he instantly laughed and said that we would have these t-shirts for the next four years. Of course, being the passive, patient man that I am, I gently encouraged him that we would sell them out this summer and need to order more. Again, Seth laughed and challenged me to a $100 bet that they wouldn’t sell out by December 31st. So, the bet is on.
Here is a photo of the t-shirts. They are already beginning to sell. Give us a call at 800-560-3662 to place your order. I’ll keep you posted as to the results.
Permalink
