Weekly Output of US Alaska Pollock Fillets and Surimi Plunges Nearly 70%, Supply Gap Widens by Nearly 10,000 Tons in One Week

Key Highlights: Processing data for Alaska pollock Season B in the US continues to deteriorate. According to production data for the week ending August 15 released by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), weekly output of both fillets and surimi fell by nearly 70% year‑on‑year. The production gap versus the same period last year widened markedly within a single week.

Processing data for Alaska pollock Season B in the US continues to deteriorate. According to production data for the week ending August 15 released by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), weekly output of both fillets and surimi fell by nearly 70% year‑on‑year. The production gap versus the same period last year widened markedly within a single week.

For fillets, US processors produced 4,020 tonnes of Alaska pollock fillets in the week ending August 15, down 65.3% from 11,588 tonnes in the comparable 2025 week. Cumulative Season‑B fillet output reached 43,521 tonnes, a 29.2% year‑on‑year drop against 61,485 tonnes for the same period last year. The Season‑B supply gap has expanded from 10,396 tonnes one week ago to 17,964 tonnes. Among products, production of Pin‑Bone‑Out (PBO) fillets totalled only 2,598 tonnes for the week, falling 67.2% year‑on‑year; deep‑skin fillets stood at 1,422 tonnes, down 60.9%. Cumulative Season‑B PBO fillet output hit 27,998 tonnes, with the year‑on‑year supply gap worsening to 32.0% from 23.6% one week earlier. Cumulative deep‑skin fillet production came to 15,420 tonnes, a 24.1% year‑on‑year decline.

The surimi segment also posted weak results. Surimi output totalled 3,676 tonnes in the week ending August 15, dropping 68.6% from 11,692 tonnes a year earlier. Cumulative Season‑B surimi production reached 37,680 tonnes, down 32.8% year‑on‑year, and the supply gap grew from 10,357 tonnes to 18,373 tonnes. Including Season‑A volumes, full‑year surimi output stood at 108,628 tonnes, a 19.9% year‑on‑year decrease, with the total supply gap rising from 18,927 tonnes to 26,943 tonnes.

Persistent weakness in Season‑B output is dragging down full‑year figures. Combined fillet output for Season A and Season B totalled 113,019 tonnes, down 17.3% year‑on‑year versus a 12.9% decrease reported one week prior. The full‑year supply gap widened from 16,132 tonnes to 23,700 tonnes. Full‑year PBO fillet production was 76,750 tonnes, falling 22.7% year‑on‑year. Output of deep‑skin fillets reached 35,704 tonnes, reversing from a 3.2% year‑on‑year gain one week ago to a 3.1% decline.

Drivers behind the fishing‑side shortfall are becoming clearer: large stocks of small‑size fish have appeared on fishing grounds, compounded by by‑catch control restrictions. Markets worry that inshore fleets may once again leave part of their catch quotas unfished. Cumulative Season‑B catch totalled 398,577 tonnes, down 2% year‑on‑year; the weekly catch stood at 28,928 tonnes, around 16% lower year‑on‑year. By sector, Bering Sea cumulative landings rose 11% year‑on‑year to 398,577 tonnes, driven mainly by mothership catches of 36,325 tonnes and Community Development Quota (CDQ) landings of 50,229 tonnes. AFA inshore fleets recorded cumulative catches of 161,078 tonnes, an 18% year‑on‑year drop. Factory trawlers posted cumulative landings of 150,945 tonnes, down 7%. No catches have been recorded in the Gulf of Alaska for 2026 Season B to date, compared with 49,003 tonnes in the same period last year.

Incorporating Season‑A data, total cumulative catches remain above last‑year levels: total landings reached 1.035 million tonnes as of August 15, up 2% year‑on‑year. Bering Sea cumulative catches hit 972,994 tonnes (+4% YoY), while Gulf of Alaska landings totalled 61,843 tonnes (‑24% YoY).

Production cuts have fed through to prices. Quotations for PBO fillets in Europe, alongside prices for PBO fillets, deep‑skin fillets and surimi trimmings in US wholesale markets, are all trending higher.