ANALYSIS: Ecuador's Shrimp Value-Added Capacity Constraints Drive HLSO Flows to China, Europe

Ecuador's limited capacity for value-added processing remains a significant concern, particularly as replacement costs in the country are now reportedly considerably higher than those in Asia. This cost differential appears rational, given the comprehensive expense structure from farming through processing. However, this dynamic represents a supply-and-demand imbalance rather than necessarily indicating a competitive disadvantage.

Ecuador has demonstrated for years its ability to produce peeled product lines at competitive prices relative to Asian counterparts. The challenge lies not in competitiveness per se, but in Ecuador's...

Newfoundland Snow Crab Processors File $2.5M Lawsuit Against FFAW Leaders

The Association of Seafood Producers and five major Newfoundland processing companies have filed a CAD 2.5 million lawsuit against Fish, Food & Allied Workers union executives, alleging an "unlawful conspiracy" involving threats and intimidation.

The Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador action, filed April 10, targets FFAW inshore vice-president Jason Sullivan and union president Dwan Street, claiming their actions have caused significant financial damage to processors unable to purchase crab for processing and sales.

The lawsuit, which was first reported by allNewfoundlandandLabrador...

Politis Steak & Seafood Partners with Q Plus Foods to Expand Specialty Seafood Reach

Politis Steak & Seafood and Q Plus Foods have announced a strategic partnership that brings together two South Florida foodservice specialists. The deal pairs Politis’ operational scale and customer-service capabilities with Q Plus Foods’ specialty seafood sourcing program and global supplier relationships, expanding access to high-end seafood for chefs and operators across the region.

Q Plus Foods has built a reputation as one of South Florida’s premier specialty seafood purveyors, renowned for curating an exceptional selection of seafood from around the world. The company is...

Sea of Okhotsk Pollock Catch Down 3.5% but Revenue Hopes High on Pricing

Russian pollock fishermen have completed the winter-spring pollock fishing season in the Sea of Okhotsk, the center of Russian pollock production.

According to the Russian Pollock Association, the total catch in all Far East areas during the first part of Russia's pollock fishing season reached 1.021 million tons. The result is 3.5% below 2025 levels but 6% higher than the five-year average.

Alexey Buglak, head of the association, told Russian media that unfavorable weather conditions were the main reason...

ACFFA Opposes Funds to Atlantic Salmon Foundation in Canada’s New Force of Nature Plan

At the end of March, Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney launched  A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature, investing $3.8 billion to protect and restore critical habitats, promote natural biodiversity, and mobilize “new capital for nature.” 

The news was welcomed by conservation groups across Canada, including one with headquarters in New Brunswick and an office in Maine — the Atlantic Salmon Foundation.  

Now the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association has sent an urgent objection to Carney and Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson, saying unequivocally...

NY Man Indicted in $800,000+ Cargo Theft Ring That Targeted Snow Crab, Beer, Blueberries

A New York man has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly orchestrating a sophisticated cargo theft conspiracy that targeted over $800,000 worth of goods, including $325,000 in frozen snow crab that represents the single largest theft in the scheme.

Romoy Forbes, 31, a Jamaican national residing in Deer Park, NY, was indicted Tuesday by federal prosecutors in Massachusetts on charges of interstate transportation of stolen goods and conspiracy to commit that offense. He was arraigned on April 7...

Isfjord Norway Drops Mowi Salmon Over Russian Feed Ingredients

Isfjord Norway, a company behind various private-label salmon brands in the country, stopped sourcing raw materials from salmon giant Mowi after local news outlets found that Mowi was using feed ingredients from Russia four years after the country launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Norwegian news outlet E24 reported that Mowi, along with Skretting, a major fish feed company, is importing raw feed materials from Russia despite the ongoing conflict.

Isfjord Norway CEO Liv Randi Sira told Norwegian media that the company "clearly distances itself from all trade with Russia...

The Retail Rundown: Pork Leads Protein Promotions While Prices Remain Competitive

Retail protein promotions this week show pork holding the top spot for a second consecutive week at 28%. Beef ranks second at 24%, followed closely by seafood at 22%. Chicken promotions increased to 18%, gaining five percentage points from the prior week, while turkey accounts for 2%. Following the Easter holiday, lamb and veal promotions eased to 2%, and egg ads doubled week-over-week to 5%.

Pork pricing remains competitive, with the Weekly Retail Feature Index at $3.40 per pound, below year-ago levels and largely in...

Regal Springs Teams with French-based Seanovation for Pre-Rigor Tilapia

Seanovation, the French seafood technology startup, has commenced commercial production at its new facility in Boulogne-sur-Mer, marking a significant milestone for the company's innovative fish preservation technology.

The company announced its first deliveries of pre-rigor Royal Tilapia to the French market, describing the product as offering "like-fresh" quality through proprietary processing methods that maintain fish in a pre-rigor state.

"Building this from the ground up hasn't been easy, but seeing our technology come to life in production, and our first products going out, makes...

ASMI and Jiarong Supermarket Boost Alaska Seafood Visibility During Spring Festival

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) Hong Kong partnered with Jiarong Supermarket for a month-long promotion across China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA), timed to coincide with the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), which marks the beginning of the lunar calendar year.

The collaboration placed Alaska seafood front and center during one of the year’s most important holidays at a leading retail chain with more than 160 stores across key GBA cities. As consumer demand for seafood peaks during this period, the partnership was especially...

Access Determines Price: The Global Crab Market Tightens in 2026

Global crab trade expanded in 2025, but 2026 is developing into a more difficult operating environment defined by tighter positioning and more contested negotiations.

The structure of the market continues to narrow. Supply remains concentrated, and access to key destinations is increasingly controlled. The central issue is no longer how much crab is produced, but who can place product into the markets that set the price.

Most major producing regions enter the year with workable quotas. Russia increased total crab quotas by 2% to 109,485 metric tons and continues to...

Gulf Snow Crab Season Gets Underway as Newfoundland Harvesters Weigh Price Decision

Snow crab fishermen in the Gulf of St. Lawrence have begun the 2026 season after brief ice-related delays, moving quickly to capitalize on fishing opportunities before endangered North Atlantic right whales arrive in southern waters.

The Gulf's Total Allowable Catch was set at 16,267.90 tonnes, down 11% from 2025 levels using a 34.82% exploitation rate under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' Precautionary Approach harvest decision rules. The reduction marks the third consecutive year of quota declines for Canada's second-largest crab fishery...

NOAA Enforcement Nets New Jersey Captain, Seafood Dealer in Illegal Scallop Scheme

NOAA Fisheries' Office of Law Enforcement highlighted its successful prosecution of a New Jersey fishing captain and seafood dealer who operated an illegal scallop harvesting conspiracy from October 2017 to April 2021.

While NOAA's announcement omitted the defendants' names, court records and DOJ Environmental Crimes Bulletins identify them as Captain Darren McClave and seafood dealer Antonio Pereira. The sentencing details and timelines in DOJ notices precisely match NOAA's case summary.

McClave was sentenced to a $10,000 fine, two years' probation, and six months of home detention...

Trident Seafoods Files $100 Million Suit Alleging Tacoma Fire Department Destroyed Kodiak Enterprise

More than three years after a devastating fire aboard a commercial fishing vessel, reports say Trident Seafoods has filed a lawsuit against the City of Tacoma.

The complaint accuses the Tacoma Fire Department of causing excessive damage and seeks $100 million in compensation. Trident states in the suit that a tactical decision by the department led to the total destruction of the Kodiak Enterprise on April 8, 2023.

King 5 News reported that a Tacoma Fire battalion chief overruled the....

PEIXE BR Welcomes Brazil's New Fisheries Minister Araújo

The Brazilian Association of Fish Farming (PEIXE BR) welcomed the appointment of Édipo Araújo as Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture (MPA) in an April 13 announcement.

Araújo, a fisheries engineer who graduated from the Federal Rural University of the Amazon, is described by the association as part of a generation that helped shift the North’s industry away from predatory extractivism toward a more structured and sustainable production chain. PEIXE BR said his sector experience and technical knowledge bolster expectations for management focused on the real needs of Brazilian...

Supreme Court Halts NL Snow Crab Tie-Up; Sackton Warns of Market Risk

The Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court has granted an injunction against the Fish Food and Allied Workers Union-Unifor (FFAW), ordering the union to halt "declaring or authorizing" the ongoing tie-up in the province's snow crab fishery.

According to local news outlet VOCM, the injunction targets comments made by union leadership encouraging harvesters not to fish for the current minimum price of $5.30/lb ($11.68/kg) set by the province's Standing Fish Price Setting Panel on April 2. The panel accepted the price submitted...

Commerce Drops 283 Indian Shrimp Exporters from AD Review Over No Entries

The Commerce Department has rescinded antidumping duty administrative review for 283 of 391 Indian frozen warmwater shrimp companies originally covered in the 2024-2025 review period, citing no reviewable entries during the timeframe.

The partial rescission, published April 10 in the Federal Register, leaves 108 companies still subject to the ongoing review covering February 1, 2024, through January 31, 2025. Companies dropped from the review will have their duties assessed at the existing cash deposit rates rather than at newly calculated assessment rates...

Trump Administration to Launch $166 Billion Tariff Refund System April 20

The Trump administration will launch its tariff refund system on Monday, April 20, to process $166 billion in reimbursements to American importers for tariffs the US Supreme Court struck down as unlawful in February.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced completion of the initial phase of its Consolidated Automated Processing Environment (CAPE) system, designed to streamline refunds that would otherwise require entry-by-entry processing across 53 million shipments.

The launch comes after months of development following CBP warnings in March...

CAVA Introduces Glazed Salmon in First Seafood Menu Expansion

Mediterranean fast-casual brand CAVA is introducing seafood to its menu for the first time with the launch of Glazed Salmon, available starting April 20.

The new offering reinforces the company’s Mediterranean roots with bold, vibrant flavors while expanding options for health-conscious consumers. The salmon is marinated in a house-made pomegranate glaze featuring pomegranate molasses—a tangy-sweet staple of Levantine cuisine—then roasted to achieve a caramelized exterior and flaky texture.

“At the Mediterranean table, seafood is enjoyed everyday, it’s not...

NOAA Wants Public Comment on Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Alaska State Waters

Section 7 (Aquaculture Opportunity Areas or AOA) of President Trump’s Executive Order 13921 titled “Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth” from May 2020 is in its final stages with a 45-day public comment period that started yesterday and will close on May 28, 2026. 

The Notice of Intent asks for feedback on the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), the document that assesses impacts that AOAs may bring to Alaska state waters and the communities nearby. 

The action has nothing to do with permitting sites...

California Commercial Salmon Fishing Reopens After Three-Year Closure as Populations Recover

California's commercial ocean salmon fishery will reopen in 2026 after a three-year closure, while recreational anglers will see significantly expanded opportunities following dramatic improvements in key Chinook salmon populations, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council finalized season recommendations during its April 7-12 meeting in Portland, Oregon, with the National Marine Fisheries Service expected to implement the measures into federal regulations.

Significant improvements in Sacramento River fall-run Chinook and Klamath River fall-run Chinook stocks enabled expanded...

Albertsons Reports Fiscal 2025 Results and Issues Fiscal 2026 Guidance

Albertsons Companies  released results for the fourth quarter and Fiscal 2025, reporting solid adjusted earnings amid pharmacy-related headwinds.

"Fiscal 2025 was a year of disciplined execution and resilience, as we closed the year with a solid fourth quarter that delivered strong Adjusted EBITDA despite meaningful top-line pharmacy-related headwinds," said Susan Morris, CEO of Albertsons Companies.

Morris continued, "Across the full year, we remained focused on building a stronger foundation for the future, including investing in our customer value proposition, advancing digital and...

Cousins Maine Lobster Rolls Into Savannah and St. Louis with New Food Trucks

Cousins Maine Lobster has been in the headlines for weeks as it rapidly expands, bringing fresh  lobster and its signature menu to seafood fans nationwide. The company announced its iconic food truck will arrive in two new markets: Savannah, Georgia, and St. Louis, Missouri.

The Savannah expansion is led by local franchisees Damon Cole and Mandy Ottesen. It’s their second truck, and they plan further growth across the U.S. South after the success of their debut in Jacksonville, FL. Cole’s experience...

US Extends Russian Seafood Ban as Alaska Pushes for Continued Restrictions

The US has renewed its national emergency declaration targeting Russian activities, effectively extending the ban on Russian seafood imports that has benefited Alaska's fishing industry since 2022.

President Donald Trump signed a continuation of the national emergency on March 24, extending Executive Order 14024, which underpins the prohibition on Russian seafood imports. The order was published in the Federal Register on March 27, 2026.

The extension comes just days before Alaska lawmakers passed House Joint Resolution 29 on March 30, urging federal authorities to maintain and strengthen the Russian...

ANALYSIS: Argentina's Illex Squid Landings Surge 73% Year to Date, While Prices Show Upward Pressure in April

The Illex squid (Illex argentinus) 2026 season has been under operation since February 2, 2026. According to market participants, the start of the season was difficult, especially because it was hard to find squid in stock. However, after a few days of difficulty, they managed to improve catches. According to Argentina's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, cumulative landings from January 1 to March 31 totaled 169,387 MT, up 73% from 97,829 MT in the same period in 2025 (Figure 1)...

ANALYSIS: February Dip in French Shrimp Imports Reflects Typical Seasonal Slowdown

The French National Directorate of Foreign Trade Statistics published the latest figures for French imports last week, showing a 22.0% decline in February versus January. That fall aligns with the usual slowdown observed at this point in the year over the past five years. After the January restocking that follows the year‑end holidays, February typically sees weaker inflows. In 2026, Easter fell on 3–6 April, several weeks later, so importers and distributors relied on existing inventories to meet subdued winter demand during February...

UK Fish Stocks Face Growing Strain as Sustainability Ratings Slip for Cod, Scampi

The Marine Conservation Society has issued a fresh warning about mounting pressure on UK fish stocks, following its latest update to the Good Fish Guide.

The revised ratings show some of the UK’s most popular seafood choices, particularly cod and langoustine (commonly sold as scampi), are becoming less sustainable. Several UK cod stocks have declined since 2015 due to overfishing, climate change, and ecosystem disruption, and there are now no recommended options for UK-caught cod. Meanwhile, some langoustine fisheries have been...

ASC-Led Partnership Launches Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative in Songkhla Lake

A new partnership is set to improve sustainable aquaculture in southern Thailand’s Songkhla Lake, where environmental pressures have challenged small-scale fish farmers.

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), Laylanta Co., Ltd., and Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park have signed an MoU to launch an Aquaculture Improvement Project (AIP) focused on barramundi farming. The initiative will support farmers with technical guidance and market incentives, helping them adopt better practices and work toward ASC certification.

Center for Biological Diversity Sues NOAA Over Northern Fur Seal Protection, Targets Pollock Fleet

In late 2024, NOAA Fisheries finalized the Conservation Plan for the Eastern Pacific Stock of Northern Fur Seal in an effort to conserve and restore the stock to its optimum sustainable population. The Eastern Pacific (formerly Pribilof) stock of northern fur seals was designated as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act on June 17, 1988, because the population had declined by over 50 percent from the highest population levels of the 1950s. NMFS first published a Conservation Plan in 1993, followed by a revised version...

Chile Coordinates Salmon Industry Response as Harmful Algal Blooms Affect 11 Farms

Chile's National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) met with salmon farming companies and service providers this week to coordinate response efforts as harmful algal blooms continue impacting operations in southern Chile.

The blooms, caused by the Heterosigma akashiwo species detected since March, have affected 11 fish farms primarily in Salmonid Concession Groups 1 and 2 in the Reloncaví Sound area. All affected facilities have activated their preventative action plans in response to the harmful algal bloom (HAB) conditions...