Why is fish so expensive?

[daugen]

Incredible video - fishing boats in rough sea - YouTube

Crossing the Bar

caution: if you are prone to motion sickness, really do suggest you not watch this.

Most of the supermarket fish in our area starts in the 7 dollar range and goes up quickly. So we eat mostly salmon, which
often goes on sale. But when I watch these fishing boats coming in the inlet, over the proverbial bar,
somehow seven bucks doesn't seem so bad. I really would like to eat more fish but it's hard to justify ten bucks a pound
for just about anything. Maybe I'm just cheap, and there are always special occasions. This is where living near the water is
so nice for getting fresh fish without all the distribution costs tacked on.

portions of this tape have been floating around YouTube but this is the first time I've seen what looks like the whole thing.
If you aren't into boats, bail out early, trust me, you'll get the point.

 

[J F]

We try to get the supermarket salmon every couple of weeks, I think it's 4-5$ a lb. on sale. When I went to the butcher shop D) yesterday I asked about fresh fish, and they said they only carry the frozen stuff due to the fact that trying to stock "fresh" (not frozen) seafood led to too much waste.

I've never had "fresh" seafood, as far as I remember. It's probably a good thing, as I would hate want I can't get. :laughing:

 

[mjarrels]

A large Asian supermarket is scheduled to open within a couple months here... claim to carry 30 kinds of fresh fish.

mark

 

[J F]

"Fresh" anything is going to be expensive as heck, if you're not living right where it's harvested. I'm always wanting to live somewhere else when I look for certain foods. :laughing:

 

[brin]

We only buy fish from American waters...and here is why..."Dirty Waters, Dangerous Fish" on Vimeo

 

[DFB]

There a lot of regulation in the north Atlantic fishing industry to limit overfishing. When I lived on the Maine coast it was in the news all the time. Limits on where to fish closed fishing areas, number of days a year you can fish all stuff like that. It was a way of life for many people. A lot of small commercial fisherman couldnt make money with all the restrictions and had to get out.

 

[J F]

Good info DFB. It's always interesting to learn from locals

 

[KTurner]

Fish seems high in general. I can go to the public boat ramp 1/4 mile down the street from me and catch croaker off the dock. The closest grocery store wants $6 per pound for it. Croaker is a generic saltwater fish, typically about 12" long and 1/2 - 2 lbs. Not a specialty, not hard to catch, nothing like that.

Keith

 

[J F]

It all comes down to the $ (and demand) when it comes down to putting it on the plate. Keith, can ya show up for dinner tonight with 2 lbs of fresh fish...for $8-10.

My wife says I'm a "decent" host.

 

[daugen]

We only buy fish from American waters...and here is why..."Dirty Waters, Dangerous Fish" on Vimeo

Brin,
this really made me chuckle, since the local "fish supply" is the Delaware River. A good sized river that has been polluted for a long time. Getting better..but nothing says it better when the
PA Fish Commission suggested guidelines for fish consumption from the Delaware is one serving per month. Almost humorous if not so dangerous. Lot of catfish get eaten out of there by the Phila locals,
toxic stew including pcb's, chemicals from upstream papermills, overflowing municipal sewers upstream, a constant treat coming downstream.

So, our American alternative locally is mighty unappetizing. Hope yours are much better.

 

[vtsnowedin]

This might be the problem.
Big-Fish Stocks Fall 90 Percent Since 1950, Study Says

 

[Tomtint]

Living near the ocean all my life, I have many friends that have chosen to be fishermen for a living. I can tell you this, it is hard hard work to do every day. A very good friend of mine has been on a boat every day since he was 5 or 6, he is now 45. If you have never been on the ocean in 10-12 foot seas, fog so thick you can't see the bow of the boat and water coming over the bow so hard you think it is going to blow out the windows... This has a bit to do with the price of fish. The individual I'm talking about may be one of the hardest working people I personally know, he is in no way getting rich, or even ahead. By the time he pays for fuel,bait,insurance,maintence,labor,not to mention the vessel itself. There is not much left.

 

[RobertBrown]

Fear not my friend.......


This should bring the price down:

Frankenfish: Genetically engineered salmon close to FDA approval | Washington Times Communities

AquAdvantage salmon is an Atlantic salmon that has two added genes; an added gene from the Pacific salmon to make it grow faster, and an added gene from an eel that makes it grow throughout the year. GE salmon grow in half the time 18 months instead of three years -but do not grow larger than natural salmon. Currently AquAdvantage eggs are created on Prince Edward Island and the fish are grown and farmed in Panama.

Once approved, which is very likely, AquAdvantage salmon will not require special labeling identifying it as genetically engineered. Under current FDA regulations, GE foods are only required to be identified as such when they are substantially different from the natural version. The FDA stated that AquAdvantage salmon is not substantially different from its natural counterpart, and therefore will not require special labeling.

Without special labeling of GE salmon, consumers will lack information to allow them to choose whether to consume and financially support a completely new kind of food and food industry熔ne that we know very little about.

Read more: Frankenfish: Genetically engineered salmon close to FDA approval | Washington Times Communities
Follow us: @wtcommunities on Twitter

 

[J F]

Living near the ocean all my life, I have many friends that have chosen to be fishermen for a living. I can tell you this, it is hard hard work to do every day. A very good friend of mine has been on a boat every day since he was 5 or 6, he is now 45. If you have never been on the ocean in 10-12 foot seas, fog so thick you can't see the bow of the boat and water coming over the bow so hard you think it is going to blow out the windows... This has a bit to do with the price of fish. The individual I'm talking about may be one of the hardest working people I personally know, he is in no way getting rich, or even ahead. By the time he pays for fuel,bait,insurance,maintence,labor,not to mention the vessel itself. There is not much left.

:thumbsup:

 

[DFB]

Lot of fishing industry news here

SavingSeaFood - State and Local

 

[Bird]

There's obviously not nearly as many fish in the water as there used to be. I started going to Port Aransas the week of Thanksgiving to fish with my Dad in 1973. I don't recall there being a length or bag limit on flounder back then, and all you had was minimum length for redfish (red drum), and I know sheepshead weren't even considered as game fish; no restrictions. Dad & I used to go catch 15 to 20 sheepshead in the morning, go fillet them, eat lunch, and do it again in the afternoon, and all legally. Now you've got very strict limits and you're very lucky if you can catch the legal limit.

And look at the Texas bag & length limits now.

And I guess it's the same everywhere. I fished one day with my Dad and my brothers in Resurrection Bay, Alaska, in 1972 when there were no limits on the salt water black bass (black rockfish). The next year, they imposted a 25 limit, and in 1990-91, there was a limit of 5.

I'm also old enough to remember that one reason I ate so much fish when I was a young man was because it was cheaper than other meats in the grocery store.

I've also had enough experience to know that the fresher the fish is, the better it tastes. However, I'm not enough of an expert to know why that is.:laughing:

 

[vtsnowedin]

I've also had enough experience to know that the fresher the fish is, the better it tastes. However, I'm not enough of an expert to know why that is.:laughing:

" Fish is like company in your house. After three days they begin to smell"
( Reverse of Poor Richards saying by Ben Franklin)

 

[/pine]

I was born and raised in small coastal community on the Gulf of Mexico where both commercial and recreational fishing were the main attraction...I still have many (business and social) ties to both...

Like other commodities the price of seafood is prone to the same mark-up as most goods...The perils of commercial fishing are not really written into the retail price...it's part of a job where overhead is high...

In many cases, commercial catches (harvested by fleets of mostly independent boat owners) go through both a transporter and a processor's (sometimes combined) hands before it ever gets to a retailer...that adds a lot of individuals making a living off what the fishermen are responsible for...regulations and restrictions have limited the number of independent operators and been replaced by larger outfits that have their own fleets etc and do their own processing and sometimes retail (talking fresh, never frozen products)...

As for the video...The times I have encountered not as severe but similar conditions is when there is a very strong current/tide that is running opposite of the wind/seas...in some sort of inlet of pass...

 

[Stimw]

A friend runs a 32' charter boat in St. Augustine Fl. His fuel (gas) bill last year was over $27,000.
I used to take my boat 20 miles offshore, troll all day for $30. now it's $120.-150. including my PU.
Gov regulations are/have shut down many commercial boats because you can't keep anything anymore. And they are using junk science to set the limits!

 

[mvwicker]

The future of seafood is aquaculture, IMHO. There are a bunch of fish farms on the Mississippi flood plain south of St Louis such as this one:
Logan Hollow Fish Farm - Murphysboro, Illinois - Top quality and selection for your pond stocking requirements
Their main problem is assuring water quality. In places with saltwater, there are huge tilapia pens:
Aquaculture of tilapia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And of course, the "teeming shores" of Asia will offer plenty of competition. I am a fan of swai:
File:Swai fillet.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia