Fort Bragg”s groundfish fleet is itself grounded, as the commercial fishers try to work together to get better prices for their fish.
Prices have been flat for 10 years despite rising costs in everything else, said Tommy Ancona, owner of Tommy”s Marine in Fort Bragg and president of the Fisherman”s Marketing Association.
The association represents many of the 157 boats that fish the West Coast. Ancona said 140 boats are now tied up and not fishing, some of which are not association members but are willing to forego fishing to remedy the rates.
There are only a half dozen companies that buy groundfish, including Fort Bragg based Caito Fisheries. Ancona said more than half the market is controlled by Pacific Choice Seafood of Eureka, which maintains buying stations all over the West Coast, including Fort Bragg. He said there are seven boats in Noyo Harbor now tied up, as part of the price effort that started March 1.
Groundfish include petrale sole, dover sole, ling cod, rock cod, black cod, channel rock (a fish exported to Japan), red snapper, English sole, rex sole and assorted other species caught on the bottom along the continental shelf.
Seasons run all year round, two months at a time. That means each boat has a limit for March and April that expires at the end of April.
Ancona said there has been no response to offers to negotiate.
Most of the fish bring less than $1 per pound at the dock, although they sell for more like $10 per pound at the grocery store, he added.
Ancona said at issue is as little as a dime per pound. He said the association wants to set price levels for each kind of fish and bring some stability to the market .
“Just imagine how difficult it would be for you to get by making the same money you did 10 years ago, with all the increases in costs,” Ancona said.
Caito Fisheries could not be reached in time for comment this week.
