Halibut fresh from the opener that began March 19 in Alaska
were fetching prices ranging from $6.25 to $6.75 a pound in Southeast Alaska
this week, a little better than prices that also were pretty strong at the
start of last year’s opener.
And black cod prices were also reportedly super strong,
pushing up to $8 a pound for the big fish.
And in the Sitka area, there were more people heading out
for the halibut opener, because the winter king troll season closed over a week
ago, said Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s
Association.
Still, processors were anticipating a total of 400,000
pounds of halibut to be landed by March 23, and once halibut saturate the fresh
market, that drops the price a bit, Behnken said.
For those with a passion for the world’s premium white fish,
there are plenty of places to buy online.
At Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle fresh halibut fillets
this week are $29.99 a pound, fresh halibut steaks, $28.99 a pound, and whole
halibut, $19.99 a pound.
FishEx in Anchorage is advertising their fresh halibut fillets
for $32.21 a pound. Island Seafoods at Kodiak has Alaskan Kodiak halibut at
$24.95 a pound, plus smoked halibut for $32.95 a pound, and halibut cheeks for
$26.95 a pound., and the Seattle Fish Company has halibut fillets for $24.99 a
pound
Captain Jack’s Seafood Locker in Seward, Alaska, has halibut
cheeks for $23.99 a pound, halibut fillets for $28.99 a pound, and ground
halibut meat for $22.99 a pound, plus other package deals depending on the
number of pounds purchased.
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