As the pollock quota is cut fishermen are now hopping for whitefish to replace the shortage. At the beginning of March, Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd. (Nissui) is said to use hoki instead of Alaska pollock in its Fried White Fish with Tartar Sauce product for the Japanese market. The product is part of the Hoshii Bun Dake (just the part you want) line.
Nissui spokesman Takehiko Shimizu said at the company’s Tokyo headquarters that it is essential to switch in order to maintain an intricate balance in the company each year in response to fluctuating whitefish supplies.
The company reviews its limit every year and also looks at its global sourcing and marketing mix. Further, the grades must be taken into account, as lower grade fish will be used for surimi (fishcake) products, while higher grade fish will be used for fillets. The 2009 U.S. Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands pollock quota was cut 18.5 percent, to 815,000 metric tons. Many seafood buyers, in the United States and abroad, are now scrambling to source other whitefish such as hoki, hake and whiting.
Nissui will adjust to the quota cut by using hoki from Chile and Argentina, supplied by Nelson, New Zealand-based Sealord for the Japanese product. Shimizu said that a mix of whitefish sources is required.
