Domestic Shrimp Prices Holding at Premium Levels With Gulf Landings Down 10% in September Shrimp landings out of the Gulf of Mexico continued to fall well short of historical averages in September, which continues to support strong prices in domestic wholesale markets. Gulf landings through September are down 10 percent from last year and 17 percent from the five-year average for the fishery. The September shortage confirms reports from fishermen of poor landings for the month. It also represents a slowdown for the fishery that traditionally reaches peak production in the third and fourth quarter. Lack of domestic shrimp this year continues to keep wholesale market prices in most categories well above last year’s levels according to Urner Barry quotations.The 2015 edition of the NFI’s Top Ten Most Consumed Seafood list, which is compiled from data reported in NOAA’s annual Fisheries of the United States report, found that Americans ate the same amount of shrimp in 2015 as they did in 2014 at 4 pounds per capita. Salmon was once against the second-ranked species on the list. But unlike shrimp, US consumers increased their salmon consumption over 3 percent. Overall seafood consumption is up about one full pound at 15.5 pounds per capita according to the Fisheries report. The overall increase is a sign that efforts to raise seafood consumption among the US population are working. “Three years’ worth of increase in seafood consumption is good news from a public health perspective,” said Rima Kleiner, MS, RD, registered dietitian at NFI and Dish on Fish blogger. “The fact that we see a variation in expansion and contraction across the top ten species, coupled with overall growth, is actually very positive. In other news, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted to raise the Atlantic menhaden quota over 6 percent for the 2017 fishing season to 200,000 metric tons. The Commission’s vote to hike the 2017 quota follows months of industry-backed clamor to hike the menhaden catch based on overwhelming evidence that the fishery could support a higher quota. The current quota was set based on a 2012 assessment that said the menhaden stock could not support more catch. However, a 2015 analysis overturned those findings. Meanwhile, Belgian political leaders reached a consensus in support of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada. This means the seven-year-long process to hammer out the free trade pact between the two parties should end with ratification. The deal was actually supposed to be signed in a ceremony this week. However, a last minute objection to the deal by a local parliament in Belgium threatened to derail the deal completely. CETA is expected to help boost Canadian seafood exports to the EU market since it will remove high tariffs on many items. Finally, Southeastern Grocers the parent company of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie grocery stores has made a commitment to sell only four-star, Best Aquaculture Practices certified farm raised seafood by the 2018. “At Southeastern Grocers, we know how important it is to have fish for now and fish for the future. To ensure this, we must focus on sustainable ways of providing customers with quality product with minimal environmental impact,” said Scott Morris, Executive Vice President of Merchandising for Southeastern Grocers. Remember to check out our latest Weekly Seafood News Video Recap, which can be viewed by clicking on the thumbnail in today's newsletter. Alternatively, the video can be viewed directly on our homepage through the embedded playlist. You can also listen to Seafood News content through our podcast channels available to iPhone and Andriod users through iTunes, Google Play or SoundCloud.