Today's Main Story: Sharp Fall in April Shrimp 
Imports From India, Indonesia Drags Down Shipments 3.6% YTD
Shrimp imports to the US market in April fell over 13 percent for the month driven by declines in shipments from top producers India and Indonesia. Imports are now down 3.6 percent through the first four months this year, a difference of about 14 million pounds compared to 2015. The drop in imports was somewhat expected from a combination of El Nino-related weather issues and issues and helps explain why some spot market quotations have started to trend higher.
Resolute Forest Products, a Montreal Company that is one of the largest producers of newsprint, pulp, and other paper and wood products in the world, sued Greenpeace, alleging racketeering, over a multiyear campaign to get businesses to boycott Resolute's products. The heart of Resolute's case is that Greenpeace’s claims against it are false, and were made for the purpose of generating emotional heat that would result in massive donations. Resolute's case cites several examples from the seafood industry as well where Greenpeace has made false claims that have been refuted by NOAA and scientific consensus, and yet Greenpeace has pursued those claims to try and halt sales of products.
In other news, a full review of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute's Alaska Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Certification Fisheries Standard Version 2.0 is underway. The public comment begins today and runs through August 4. This is the first complete review of the RFM standard since it was released in 2011.
Meanwhile, farmed shrimp and tilapia producer Goulian Aquatic will pursue four-star BAP certification at 12 of its tilapia operations in China. The operations will seek four-star approval through the GAA's iBAP program. The operations combine to produce over 14,000 metric tons of fish annually. Goulian supplies California-based distributor Sunnyvale Seafood.
Finally, five lobster operators in PEI will receive funding to increase their live lobster holding capacity. The multi-million project with funding from Innovation PEI and the private sector wants to raise the province's capacity by 500,000 pounds.
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