Why is fresh halibut so expensive?

Cafe Society
1

My local grocery store sells fresh halibut anywhere from $15 to $20 a pound depending on season, but yesterday I bought a two pound box of frozen halibut for $16.99. I understand the shipping and delivery costs of fresh fish are greater, but I don’t live in rural Kansas. Every city in the country of decent size has a number of seafood distributers who get shipments of fresh fish every morning.

I don’t see this with other fish (cod, for example). Fresh halibut is almost as expensive as fresh lobster!

2

Not sure, but sometimes w/ frozen fish you’re paying for the weight of some of the ice inside the package.

3

No real reason, they do it just for the halibut.

4

The halibut fishery is very carefully managed and tightly regulated because of their slow life cycle. Fishing is limited to small windows (usually 1-2 days) where a set quota is caught and then fishing is closed.

5

I don’t see how that would affect the price, or account for the difference in frozen. Availability, yes, but not price.

P.S. Trident halibut fillets from Costco - $16.99 for two pounds. Two fillets run 200 calories! They’re a great easy, healthy lunch that takes 20 minutes to cook. Halibut is really versitile - you can serve it as is with lemon, or dress it up with a tomato tapenade or a horseradish sauce. You can even make the dreaded fish-cheese combo work with a parmesan crust.

Not affiliated with Costco. I just made a run yesterday.

6

Using your own numbers, 2 pounds of frozen cost $16.99, whereas fresh costs roughly twice as much. Frozen and fresh are two different products. Fresh costs more because of its lower availability. Hence, the high price.

7

Wow, so the 250-pound fish my dad caught in Alaska way back when was worth five grand?

And yes, it was rod-and-reel, and yes, he does have the documentation to prove it.

8

You’re giving me a haddock.

9

If your dad caught it today, never mind five grand, he could sell it to the swarm of fish-eating locusts in Japan for a price that would ensure his cushiony retirement.

10

I had a meal of Greenland halibut in Hamburg, Germany-the bill was staggering (about $80.00 for the entree alone).

11

You said that on porpoise.

12

Well, halibut that.

13

Quit carpin’

14

Geez, you guys are crabby. I’m just gonna tuna you all out.

15

$15-$20 a pound? You must be a ways from the ocean, my friend. We don’t pay anywhere near that here in Portland.

16

$16.99/lb.

I am far from the ocean, but in a big metropolitan area. I don’t think shipping is as much of a factor as it was years ago.

17

Demand drives price, though. Well, in most cases.

18

Aside from supply and demand, there’s also the perishability of fresh halibut to consider. Obviously frozen fish doesn’t share the same concern. A store has to be careful how much fresh fish like halibut it orders as its more of a specialty item than other perishable goods like say, lettuce. If they order too much and it doesn’t sell, they likely have to throw it away. So the price can often get set higher to offset loss as well.

19

Alaskan Halibut… mmmmmm

Eat some FRESH and you will be “Hooked for life”…especially the cheeks.

Did I mention mmmmmm :slight_smile: