US - It takes quite a crew to get an Alaska salmon from "boat to throat," and everyone along the line gets a cut of the catch. How that "value chain" has paid out in the past few years shows some nice gains for Alaska fishermen and processors.

"We often get asked what share the fisherman retains, and how much each segment of the supply chain gets for salmon. The answer depends on the species, and the product you are talking about, and what gear type," said Andy Wink, a fisheries economist with the McDowell Group in Juneau who compiled the report for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. "

Wink's report tracks and compares from 2008 – 2011salmon ex-vessel (dock price) payouts for fishermen and first wholesale value for processors, which typically is defined as the value of the product as it leaves Alaska.

The chain illustrates three examples, showing values from high to low returns for fishermen, with troll caught kings topping the list.

"In this case, the harvester bleeds and dresses the fish and adds most of the value before delivery. The processor basically just holds and ships out the fish, and acts as more of a distributor," Wink explained.

For that reason, the Chinook fisherman gets a higher return; 40% of the final retail value in that four year time frame. The value chain for sockeye fillets follows a very different pattern.

"In this example, the processors are taking on fish in the round, filleting them, packaging and freezing, they've got a lot more labor and capital expended. It's the processors who are adding more value, and for that reason they get a larger share," he explained.

Read the full story at the Fish Site>>