The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded more than USD 8.8 million (EUR 7.5 million) in U.S. salmon and walleye contracts.
Sitka, Alaska, U.S.A.-based Silver Bay Seafoods won the biggest share and will deliver USD 7.35 million (EUR 6.8 million) worth of canned pink salmon to several U.S. cities between July and December of this year as part of the USDA’s Child Nutrition Program and other domestic assistance programs.
Silver Bay has also announced a pre-season price for Bristol Bay sockeye at the beginning of Alaska's salmon season, marked by the opening of the Copper River salmon fishery on Thursday, 16 May.
Separately, Dulcich Inc., based in Clackamas, Oregon, U.S.A., won a contract to supply the USDA nearly USD 330,000 (EUR 304,000) worth of salmon fillets.
Redby, Minnesota-based Red Lake Nation Fisheries won a contract – worth USD 972,000 (EUR 894,000) – to supply all the walleye requested by the USDA in its latest requisitioning request.
The USDA also awarded nearly USD 2.1 million (EUR 1.9 million) in contracts to supply catfish. Braintree, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Channel Fish Processing Co. won the majority of that award, worth nearly USD 1.4 million (EUR 1,3 million), to supply breaded catfish strips.
Henderson, Louisiana, U.S.A.-based Ocean Select Seafood was awarded a contract to supply nearly USD 674,000 (EUR 620,000) worth of raw, unbreaded catfish fillets.
The USDA announced in April it will purchase more Alaska pollock, salmon, and other seafood for its National School Lunch Program (NSLP), as well as for other federal food nutrition assistance programs.
