Why Is Fresh Halibut So Expensive? - Straight Dope Message Board Home » Why Is Halibut So Expensive » Why Is Fresh Halibut So Expensive? - Straight Dope Message Board Maybe your like Why Is He Using Whatsapp Why Is Hudson Beach Closed Why Is Hxh On Hiatus Why Is Ibis Paint Lagging Why Is Inovalon Calling Me Why is fresh halibut so expensive? Cafe Society Lamar_Mundane April 20, 2010, 8:17pm 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! GrandWino April 20, 2010, 8:28pm 2 Not sure, but sometimes w/ frozen fish you’re paying for the weight of some of the ice inside the package. outlierrn April 20, 2010, 8:28pm 3 No real reason, they do it just for the halibut. DCnDC April 20, 2010, 8:36pm 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. Lamar_Mundane April 20, 2010, 8:47pm 5 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. DCnDC April 20, 2010, 8:57pm 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. Chronos April 20, 2010, 9:39pm 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. Tom_Tildrum April 20, 2010, 9:50pm 8 outlierrn: No real reason, they do it just for the halibut. You’re giving me a haddock. salinqmind April 20, 2010, 10:45pm 9 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. ralph124c April 20, 2010, 10:47pm 10 I had a meal of Greenland halibut in Hamburg, Germany-the bill was staggering (about $80.00 for the entree alone). Intergalactic_Gladiator April 20, 2010, 10:50pm 11 Tom_Tildrum: You’re giving me a haddock. You said that on porpoise. F.Pu-du-he-pa-as April 21, 2010, 4:31am 12 Well, halibut that. zoid April 21, 2010, 5:27pm 13 Quit carpin’ Stormcrow April 21, 2010, 5:31pm 14 Geez, you guys are crabby. I’m just gonna tuna you all out. Chefguy April 21, 2010, 9:47pm 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. Lamar_Mundane April 21, 2010, 10:04pm 16 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. 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. Chefguy April 22, 2010, 6:11am 17 Lamar_Mundane: $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. Demand drives price, though. Well, in most cases. FoieGrasIsEvil April 22, 2010, 1:34pm 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. ThisSpaceForRent April 22, 2010, 4:57pm 19 Alaskan Halibut… mmmmmm Eat some FRESH and you will be “Hooked for life”…especially the cheeks. Did I mention mmmmmm Related topics Topic Replies Views Activity Where's the halibut? Factual Questions 15 1285 November 2, 2003 Does 'Fresh' grocery-store fish inherently taste better than frozen? Cafe Society food-cooking 43 2097 February 18, 2022 Why is canned salmon so expensive now? Factual Questions 17 2604 August 23, 2020 Same old fish Cafe Society food-cooking 24 862 March 13, 2021 What was this development with salmon in the past few years? Factual Questions 23 2449 February 14, 2007 Tag » Why Is Halibut So Expensive Why Is Halibut So Expensive? 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