For the second year in a row, a local fisherman and boat owner brought his extra catch of Bering Sea red king crab to sell at the Kodiak city docks. But instead of selling out in three days like last year, he sold out in six hours.
Gabriel Prout, owner of Alibi Seafoods and part-owner of the F/V Silver Spray, brought 175 king crab totaling 1,000 pounds to the docks last week, which he and his crew had caught in the Bering Sea. Cars lined up for the next six hours until the crab sold out.
“I was shocked with how fast it went,” he said. “I think there is a big demand for this product.”
Prout, who owns and operates the Silver Spray with his family and a friend, brought back triple the amount of crab as last year to sell at the docks.
He said he thought that after locals got a taste of crab last year, they had a “pent up” craving for the product. He added that he wanted to give locals the opportunity to buy a seafood item that is closely related to Kodiak’s history.
“It’s a product people want and there’s really nowhere else you can get fresh live red king crab,” Prout said. “I know people want this product. I really want to give back to the community.”
After the F/V Silver Spray delivered their 28,000-pound quota of crab to a seafood processor, they were free to deliver the extra unblocked quota to whomever they wanted.
The boat was previously co-owned by Prout patriarch Bill Prout. But over the summer, Gabriel Prout and the other crew members, including some of his brothers, bought out the second owner.
“The fishing vessel is completely, 100% owner operated,” he said. The arrangement makes decisions like selling the extra quota to Kodiak locals an easier decision because “calls are made on the deck” instead of having to consult with an out-of-state owner.
Last year, he sold more of his product to restaurants. Because he sells 90% of his extra crab to the community, his bottom line was not significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused demand for fresh seafood to decrease drastically.
Prout said that demand for fresh crab has not decreased. He was also able to sell a small portion of his catch to a seafood market in Eugene, Oregon, and to another in Seattle, Washington.
Prout said that high prices are expected for both snow crab and king crab this year, which means good news for fishermen like himself who harvest both species.
Record prices were expected last year, but because of uncertainty, the market “took a big hit,” he said, adding that the market has rebounded for both snow crab and king crab.
Prout and his brothers continue to fish for crab — despite the dynamic market and the difficulty of the job — because their father is a 40-year veteran of the Bering Sea crab fleet.
“It’s all due to the respect of my dad and how hard he works,” he said. “It really inspired me to see someone work that hard and that long.”
The Link LonkNovember 26, 2020 at 01:00AM
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Bering Sea red king crab in high demand - Kodiak Daily Mirror
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