# Why is fresh halibut so expensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788 "2010-04-20T20:17:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/1 "2010-04-20T20:17:32Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/2 "2010-04-20T20:28:05Z")
Not sure, but sometimes w/ frozen fish you’re paying for the weight of some of the ice inside the package. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/3 "2010-04-20T20:28:41Z")
No real reason, they do it just for the halibut. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/4 "2010-04-20T20:36:24Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/5 "2010-04-20T20:47:55Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/6 "2010-04-20T20:57:48Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/7 "2010-04-20T21:39:53Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/8 "2010-04-20T21:50:36Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > No real reason, they do it just for the halibut. You’re giving me a haddock. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/9 "2010-04-20T22:45:07Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/10 "2010-04-20T22:47:12Z")
I had a meal of Greenland halibut in Hamburg, Germany-the bill was staggering (about $80.00 for the entree alone). ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/11 "2010-04-20T22:50:15Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > You’re giving me a haddock. You said that on porpoise. ---
**Author:** ![F.Pu-du-he-pa-as](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@F.Pu-du-he-pa-as](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.Pu-du-he-pa-as)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/12 "2010-04-21T04:31:06Z")
Well, halibut that. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/13 "2010-04-21T17:27:10Z")
Quit carpin’ ---
**Author:** ![Stormcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@Stormcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stormcrow)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/14 "2010-04-21T17:31:48Z")
Geez, you guys are crabby. I’m just gonna tuna you all out. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/15 "2010-04-21T21:47:40Z")
$15-$20 a pound? You must be a ways from the ocean, my friend. We don’t pay anywhere near that here in Portland. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/16 "2010-04-21T22:04:01Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > $15-$20 a pound? You must be a ways from the ocean, my friend. We don’t pay anywhere near that here in Portland. [$16.99/lb.](http://peach.kroger.com/sf/servlet/storefront) 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. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/17 "2010-04-22T06:11:57Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > [$16.99/lb.](http://peach.kroger.com/sf/servlet/storefront) > > 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. Demand drives price, though. Well, in most cases. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/18 "2010-04-22T13:34:31Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fresh-halibut-so-expensive/536788/19 "2010-04-22T16:57:29Z")
Alaskan Halibut… mmmmmm Eat some FRESH and you will be “Hooked for life”…especially the cheeks. Did I mention mmmmmm 🙂