Feature Stories

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From Ship to Sushi

Ever wonder where the little red fish eggs that garnish your nigiri or maki come from? Well, the next time you enjoy sushi at your favorite waterfront restaurant, remember that it might not be there without Terminal 91 and the people who work there.

Every spring marks a ritual at the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 91, when several dozen buyers from Japan and South Korea converge on a few rented trailers for the annual pollock roe auction.

Roe – the tiny red eggs of pollock caught primarily in Alaskan waters – are an ingredient in sushi, pasta sauces and other Asian foods.

After the catch is hauled aboard, the fish are headed and gutted. Next, the egg sac, or ‘skein’ as it is called, is removed for grading, freezing and packing. In the brightly lit auction trailers, the roe samples glisten like gems on uniform trays for the buyers to inspect.

Annually, more than $400 million worth of Pollock roe is sold in Seattle for uses ranging from soup stock to repackaged, high-value products sold to sushi bars and restaurants throughout Asia and the United States. Roe generally sells for $10 to $13 per kilogram. High grade gift packs can sell for as much as $50 per kilogram.

In 2004, 26,000 tons of roe were sold at auction. The buyers inspect the product and base bids on color, texture, firmness and size. There are more than 70 different grades of roe and each grade’s value is based partially on the date caught, water depth, water temperature and geographic location at sea. The buyers’ keen sight and sense of smell are critical to setting the price.

Buyers are given rate cards on which to make their assessments and write their bids. Most buyers will purchase the entire quantity of a particular grade, but it will be divided equally if more than one buyer makes a similar offer.

Most of the U.S.-licensed factory and catcher/processor boats in the pollock roe fishery are based at Terminal 91 or other Port of Seattle facilities and much of their catch is brought to Seattle for secondary processing. Many of the same boats fish for pollock without roe and Pacific whiting at other times of year. When in port the vessels use local vendors to provide equipment and services to keep the fleet running.

In addition to the fishing fleet, Terminal 91 is home to fish processing and distribution activities operated by Glacier Fish Company, Trident Seafoods, City Ice, Independent Packers, Icicle Seafoods and American Seafoods.

The Seattle-based fishing industry at Terminal 91employs nearly 5,877 people and generates more than $392.2 million in payroll, $113.7 million in local purchases and $83.8 million in state and local tax revenues each year.

While the Port is committed to remaining the homeport for the North Pacific fishing fleet, some changes for Piers 90 and 91 may be on the horizon.

The Port has enjoyed strong growth in container cargo traffic over the past few years. A proposal to move the two-berth cruise ship facility currently located at Terminal 30 in the south harbor to Pier 91 and return Terminal 30 to use as a container handling facility is being evaluated by the Port.

That would mean the fishing industry and cruise industry would share Pier 91. Because the fishing vessels are at sea during most of the cruise season, the two industries will seldom need the piers at the same time.

Possible future improvements at Terminal 91 may include improved road access, Magnolia Bridge replacement (a City of Seattle project), and the addition of Carnitech, a manufacturer of on-board seafood processing equipment for fishing vessels. Carnitech is moving from its historic location in Ballard to be closer to its customers.

If the proposal to move cruise ships to Pier 91 is approved by the Port Commission the big white ships will be at the foot of Magnolia bluff in the summer of 2007.

So the next time you enjoy sushi at your favorite waterfront restaurant as container and cruise ships move in and out of the harbor, know that the little red fish eggs that garnish your nigiri or maki might not be there without Terminal 91 and the people who work there.

For more information, visit Port environmental programs.