SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton — July 15, 2014 — East coast squid catches of both illex and loligo squid (longfin) saw a spike at the end of June with most boats fishing south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
The Seasonal fishery in Nantucket sound is not open.
Chris Lee of Seafresh, in Rhode Island, said "Hurricane Arthur did slow things down in July – since that storm landings have fallen off a little bit. I imagine they will build again in the coming days/weeks.
Demand is steady. Most processors see this time of year as a time to build inventory and there has been no change in pricing yet, as landings, though strong are not yet overwhelming anyone."
According to NMFS, Loligo landings are now trending above their quota trajectory, and if this continues the quota will be reached and the fishery will halt, unlike last year when landings remained below 50% of the 48 million lb. quota.
Loligo landings vs. quota (NMFS)
For Illex Squid, landings are also trending higher than last year, although in 2013 only 17% of the 50 million pound quota was landed.
Illex landings vs. quota trajectory
Photo Credit: Seafresh USA
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.