The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the purchase of more than USD 9 million (EUR 8.2 million) worth of wild-caught domestic salmon for youth nutrition programs and other domestic food distribution strategies on 29 December 2023.
Specifically, the contracts comprise USD 9.075 million (EUR 8.3 million) of canned pink salmon and salmon fillets.
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based Trident Seafoods landed the largest contract, which will see the company supply more than USD 6.06 million (EUR 5.5 million) worth of canned pink salmon to the USDA.
Behind Trident, Clackamas, Oregon, U.S.A.-based Pacific Seafood will supply USD 1.82 million (EUR 1.7 million) in salmon fillets; OBI Seafoods in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., will supply around USD 568,000 (EUR 518,000) worth of canned pink salmon; and Sitka, Alaska, U.S.A.-based Silver Bay Seafoods will supply nearly USD 80,600 (EUR 73,500) worth of canned pink salmon.
This USDA purchase follows the agency's invitation for companies to bid on contracts to supply 405,000 pounds of wild salmon in a continuation of the department's support for the Pacific Northwest commercial salmon fishery.
The suppliers will deliver the salmon between February and August 2024.
In December 2023, the USDA also announced contracts for other seafood species, as Channel Fish Processing and Trident split USD 1.75 (EUR 1.6 million) in Alaska pollock contracts awarded by the department.
Braintree, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Channel Fish will supply USD 988,559 (EUR 902,000) worth of frozen pollock sticks, while Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based Trident will supply bulk surimi worth USD 759,924 (EUR 694,000).
In September 2023, Trident additionally landed a contract worth nearly USD 800,000 (EUR 730,000) to supply canned pink salmon to federal food and nutrition programs. Trident will supply 16,720 cases of canned salmon at USD 779,998 (EUR 712,000).
Photo courtesy of OlegD/Shutterstock
