The North American kingfish season is just around the corner. Though kingfish is literally available throughout the year, the peak in the U.S. and Canada starts from late fall and lasts till early spring (October to March). 

One of the main sources of kingfish in the U.S. is the Maine coast. The State now enjoys the presence of recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) within the township of Franklin. Run by the Netherlands-based Kingfish Company, this RAS project in Maine is hatching the yellowtail kingfish breed. 

RAS is an efficient fish-raising system which reuses treated water while ensuring little or no pathogenic pollution. It helps rear fish with lower contamination content than those from oceans. 

Senator Angus King of Maine recently praised the advent of RAS by the Kingfish Company. In April 2023, the company netted 8000 pounds of the yellowtail type in Maine waters and sold the bulk of this harvest to local seafood eateries. 

In American seafood restaurants, the average prices for kingfish range from $9.99 per pound or $21.97 per kilo. The lowest price is $7 per pound or $15 per kilogram. 

The prices in Canada are steady at CA$30 (U$22.18) per kilogram for a small to medium size fresh kingfish. 

In related news, the season for the prized king salmon in Alaska which began in May  is about to peak in September and October. Brown bears are already partaking in the feast by hunting fish at Brooks Falls. This is a celebrated July-September bear-sighting area. 

Ban in GCC

As North America awaits its season, further afield, Bahrain and Qatar have imposed a temporary ban on kingfish fishing to protect the species. 

Fishing of kingfish will stop from mid-August to mid-October, 2023, in Gulf waters to help recover diminishing kingfish stocks.  The first time Gulf Council Countries (GCC) imposed the moratorium was in 2016.

During the 2016 period, prices in Qatar of kingfish whose local name is “kana’ad” soared to QR65 ($17.85) per kg while the norm in peak season a kg cost just QR 20 ($5.49). 

The seasonal harvesting cap in the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) region may have an impact on global supplies. This is significant because Asian countries, including India, Indonesia and Pakistan provided the three biggest sources of world kingfish in 2023. Saudi Arabia and the UAE also rank among the biggest importers in 2023. 

Thus, as kingfish fishing ban comes back in the Middle East, the season for the fish in the U.S. and Canada is just about to peak.