NAA: America First Seafood Strategy Leaves Aquaculture on the Sidelines 

The National Aquaculture Association (NAA) says the America First Seafood Strategy (AFSS) gives commercial fishing "overwhelming emphasis" and treats aquaculture as a "secondary, complementary role." The group is asking the USDA Office of Seafood to set tangible growth goals for farmed seafood.

NAA sent the letter Nov. 6 to Office of Seafood Director Michael Illenberg. It followed an Oct. 20 meeting between the two sides and the AFSS release on Oct. 23. NAA also issued a public statement the same day...

ADF&G Forecasts 'Strong' 49.3 Million Sockeye Run for Bristol Bay in 2027

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is forecasting a strong 2027 Bristol Bay sockeye run of 49.31 million fish. That would allow a potential harvestable surplus of 35.26 million fish. The department released the forecast Nov. 6.

The forecast comes with an 80% prediction interval of 35.47 million to 63.14 million fish. The 49.31 million point estimate is 3% below the most recent 20-year average of 50.96 million fish and 31% above the long-term average of 37.56 million (1963–2026)...

ANALYSIS: YTD Canadian Lobster Export Value Remains Stable Amid Shift to Frozen

Canadian lobster exports had a positive month of September, with both live and frozen Homarus americanus shipments performing well. According to Statistics Canada, exports reached 5,428 MT, worth CAD 224.8 million. That is up 5.3% in value from August and 11.5% from September 2025. The annual gain came mainly from frozen products, whose value rose 17.7% year on year, against 1.1% for live...

Chile Truckers' Fuel Strike Hits Shipping Routes, Putting Salmon Logistics on Watch

Chilean truckers began a national strike Tuesday over diesel costs. Organizers say more than 4,000 trucks are stopped along routes from Arica in the north to Puerto Aysén in the south, according to ADN Radio's live coverage. Aysén is one of Chile's salmon-farming regions.

Truckers are blocking stretches of Route 5 North and South and Route 68. Blockades have been reported in the Tarapacá, Maule, Biobío, La Araucanía and Metropolitan regions. Interurban buses also cut Route 5 South at San Bernardo...

Cermaq Developing New US Processing Plant as Mitsubishi Cuts Salmon Earnings Outlook

Cermaq is developing a new value-added processing facility in the US, according to its parent Mitsubishi Corporation's first-half earnings presentation. The same slide says Cermaq is adding capacity and automation at its existing facility in Chile. Mitsubishi framed the processing push as a way to improve profitability and make the business more resilient to market swings. The slide gives no location, investment amount or timeline.

The plans come as Mitsubishi warned that salmon earnings will fall short of its initial expectations this fiscal...

Alaska Seafood Harvesting Jobs Rise 4% in 2025, Ending Five Years of Losses

Alaska's seafood harvesting workforce grew 4% in 2025, according to the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development. It is the first annual increase after five straight years of job losses. The gain averaged 216 jobs per month and was the largest in more than a decade.

The recovery is modest. The industry has lost about 2,300 jobs since 2019, and July employment, the annual peak, was about 17,400 in 2025, well below the roughly 24,000 of the mid-2010s...

AKVA Clears 90% Acceptance Threshold in Yanmar Takeover

Shareholders have tendered about 92% of AKVA group ASA's shares to Yanmar's offer, clearing the minimum acceptance condition. Completion still depends on regulatory approvals, and the offer period closes on 20 November.

Oslo-listed AKVA group said on Monday that its offeror, Pontos Bidco AS, has received acceptances for 33,584,769 shares, or about 92.06% of issued share capital and voting rights, subject to customary verification. The offer is NOK 161 per share, valuing the deal at NOK 5.9 billion ($611 million). Pontos Bidco is indirectly owned...

The QRILL Company Antarctic Krill Fishery Set for MSC Recertification

The QRILL Company’s Antarctic krill fishery is set to be recertified under the Marine Stewardship Council’s Fisheries Standard following an independent reassessment that included objections from environmental organizations.

The reassessment was carried out by independent conformity assessment body LRQA, which evaluated whether the fishery is sustainably managing krill stocks, minimizing impacts on the broader marine ecosystem and operating under effective management systems.

Two NGOs, the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) and WWF-UK, lodged objections to LRQA’s initial recommendation for certification. After investigating the objections...

Rep. Nancy Mace Introduces Bill Targeting Microplastics in Water and Seafood

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has introduced the Plastics Understanding and Removal through Government Evaluation, or PURGE, Act, legislation aimed at addressing micro- and nanoplastics in the environment, including rivers, oceans and seafood.

The bill would direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study and test strategies for removing microplastics from the environment and water supplies, while also exploring ways to prevent plastics from breaking down into persistent micro- and nanoplastic particles.

The legislation focuses on two main approaches. In the first, it looks to  filter, capture and remove...

Oregon Congressional Delegation Celebrates USDA $12M Purchase of Whiting

Last week Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led Oregon Congressional Delegation members—including Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Maxine Dexter, and Janelle Bynum—to announce that after pressure from the delegation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will purchase Pacific whiting fillets and hazelnuts under the agency’s Section 32 program.

The purchases total $12 million for Pacific whiting fillets and $22 million for Oregon hazelnuts...

USTR Extends Section 301 Exclusions for 10 Seafood Tariff Lines, Keeps Chinese Vessel Fees on Hold

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has pushed back two China-related Section 301 deadlines by two months. The extensions keep a set of seafood tariff exclusions in place and extend the suspension of fees on Chinese-built and Chinese-operated vessels.

In one Federal Register notice, USTR extended all 178 existing product exclusions from the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports. Ten of them cover seafood tariff lines. The exclusions had been set to expire today...

Alaska Salmon Harvest Halves in 2026, but Ex-Vessel Value Rises 20%

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has released preliminary figures for the 2026 statewide salmon season. The commercial harvest was 99 million salmon, down from 195 million in 2025, while the estimated ex-vessel value rose 20% to $648 million from $541 million.

The value gain came from higher prices. ADF&G says the 2026 statewide average ex-vessel price per pound for all salmon species improved considerably on 2025, offsetting the lower harvest volume...

USDA Seeks Wild Salmon Fillets and Shrimp for Federal Food Programs

The US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service has issued a combined solicitation for wild frozen salmon fillets and peeled and deveined shrimp for federal food and nutrition programs. Solicitation 12-3J14-27-B-0091 was posted November 4, and bids are due November 17 at 1:00 p.m. Central Time. Awards will be announced by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on November 30...

Umios 1H Operating Income Slides 23% on Aquaculture Write-Down, Japan Cost Pressure

Umios Corporation, the Japanese seafood and protein group formerly known as Maruha Nichiro, reported first-half operating income of ¥14.4 billion (about $91 million) for the six months ended Sept. 30. That was down 23.4% from a year earlier and slightly below the company's plan. An aquaculture inventory write-down and rising costs in Japan outweighed stronger overseas earnings...

Kura Sushi USA Posts Fiscal Q4 Comp Decline as Tariffs Weigh on Imported Ingredient Costs

Kura Sushi USA reported a 5.7% drop in fiscal fourth-quarter comparable restaurant sales on Nov. 5. The decline was driven by an 11.5% fall in traffic, partly offset by a 5.8% rise in price and mix.

Sales rose 12% to $88.9 million from $79.4 million as new restaurants opened. The company posted an operating loss of $0.6 million, versus operating income of $1.5 million a year earlier. Adjusted net income was $0.9 million...

ANALYSIS: Fewer Fish and Falling Biomass Reshape Norway’s Salmon Outlook 

Norwegian Atlantic salmon harvest increased 3.2% year over year (YOY) in September 2026, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries. The harvest through September was 5.0% higher year-to-date (YTD). However, alive biomass has been declining since August and fell 2.9% YOY in September (Figure 1)...

Norway's Salmon Exports Hit Record, but US Sales Slip 11%

Norway's salmon exports reached a record value in October, even as shipments to the US fell. Salmon exports totaled 159,810 tonnes, worth NOK 13 billion, up 6% in value and 9% in volume from the previous year, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC). October set a record monthly salmon export value, NOK 264 million above September's record.

The US did not share in that growth. Norway's exports to the US fell 11% in October, to NOK 1.2 billion, driven by...

Judges Appear Divided as Chilean Sea Bass Importer Fights US Treaty Reading

A federal appeals panel on Friday heard a challenge to the US ban on Chilean sea bass from South Georgia. The ban stems from a four-year-old standoff over who sets the rules for one of the highest-priced fish in US supermarkets.

Texas-based importer Southern Cross Seafoods is asking the 11th Circuit to overturn the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) decision that blocked its shipments. The fish is Patagonian toothfish, sold in the US as Chilean sea bass. Southern Cross...

USDA Solicits 117,040 Cases of Canned Pink Salmon for Delivery Through June

The US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has issued a solicitation for canned pink salmon for federal food and nutrition assistance programs. It is separate from the wild frozen salmon fillet and shrimp request Expana reported Monday.

Solicitation 12-3J14-27-B-0090 seeks 117,040 cases of pink salmon packed 24 cans to a case, with 14.75 ounces per can. That works out to roughly 2.6 million pounds. About 103,360 cases are standard pink salmon, and 13,680 cases are kosher...

Brim Buys Bankrupt Arctic Char Farmer Matorka, Targets 1,000 MT in 2027

Icelandic seafood group Brim hf acquired all the assets of Matorka, a land-based Arctic char farmer that declared bankruptcy this month. Brim bought the business through a newly established subsidiary, and Brim did not disclose financial details in its statement.

Brim said it wants to build on Matorka's existing knowledge and operations, focusing on cost-effective production, product quality, and sustainable growth. It estimates 2027 production at more than 1,000 metric tons of whole char...

Animal Welfare Group Petitions Maine to Write Rules for Farmed Salmon, Targeting Cooke

Animal Outlook, a Washington-based animal welfare nonprofit, has petitioned the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to adopt rules on the welfare of farmed salmon. The Maine Monitor reported the petition.

Animal Outlook filed under the Maine Administrative Procedure Act. State law requires the department to begin rulemaking within 60 days of a petition signed by at least 150 registered Maine voters. A department spokesperson said it received the petition Sept. 29 and expects to start the process this month. Rulemaking would include a public...

US Import Volumes Expected to Ease after Extended Peak Season, NRF says

Import volumes at the nation’s major ports are expected to taper off through the rest of the year following an extended peak shipping season that has kept terminals busy, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report.

Global Port Tracker, produced for NRF by Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for major US ports including Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and...

Eastern Hokkaido Sardine Purse-Seine Fishery Ends Season With Zero Landings

It has been confirmed that the Japanese sardine fishery conducted by the purse seine fleets off the eastern coast of Hokkaido has yielded zero catch for the current season. According to the Hokkaido Purse Seine Fisheries Association, "As of October 30, no fishing fleets are operating in the area, and there is no possibility of any landings on October 31." Reports from the Minato Shimbun indicate that this is the first time since 2001—a span of 25 years—that the season has concluded with a total catch...

ANALYSIS: Atlantic Halibut Finds Seasonal Support, but Still Trails Recent Benchmarks

Atlantic halibut remains a volatile market, but it is still showing some familiar seasonal patterns. Prices are moving into the typical late-year upswing, a period when reduced fishing activity and a modest holiday demand lift often combine to support the market.

Even with that seasonal firming, the current market sits below both year-ago levels and the three-year average for this point in the calendar. That suggests the market is following a recognizable seasonal path, but from a lower base than in recent years. In other words, the direction is familiar even if the price level is...

BioMar Ecuador Inaugurates Shrimp Feed Production Expansion

BioMar Ecuador announced on November 9 that it has inaugurated the first phase of its production expansion project for shrimp feed.

BioMar Ecuador plans to increase production capacity from 300,000 to 410,000 tons during 2026 through operational improvements and a new production line, supplemented by external capacity arrangements, the company said.

"Ecuador is one of the most important shrimp markets globally, and we see strong potential for continued growth," said Henrik Aarestrup, VP LATAM Shrimp & Hatchery at BioMar.

BioMar Ecuador Managing Director Andres Rivadulla noted that the inauguration

Sri Lankan Blue Swimming Crab Fishery Earns MSC Certification After Decade of Work

The North-Western Sri Lanka blue swimming crab fishery has achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, making it the first fishery in the country to meet the MSC Fisheries Standard for environmental sustainability. The milestone follows more than a decade of work by fishing communities, exporters, government and other stakeholders to protect the country's blue swimming crab stocks.

The certification covers two units of assessment off the north-western coast: Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar. Small-scale fishers use bottom-set gillnets from traditional boats...

Russian Capelin Catches Face Steep Fall, Halibut Quota Rises

Russia may see a serious drop in capelin catches in the Barents Sea in the coming years, as the state of the stock remains complex. Konstantin Drevetnyak, general director of the Union of Fishing Producers of the Russian North, has raised serious concerns about future capelin catch trends in Russian waters. He said that both this year and next, only scientific catches of the species are permitted, with no commercial quota...

DFO Opens Consultation on Listing 12 Atlantic Salmon Populations Under Species at Risk Act

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is consulting on whether to list 12 Atlantic salmon populations under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson announced the move Nov. 5.

The populations span Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. They include the Gaspé Peninsula, Outer Bay of Fundy, Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cape Breton, and Southern Labrador populations...

Vietnam Shrimp Antidumping Duties Reshuffle as Commerce Finalizes Review

The US Department of Commerce has issued final results in the 20th administrative review of the antidumping order on frozen warmwater shrimp from Vietnam, covering entries from February 1, 2024, to January 31, 2025. Commerce found that sales were made below normal value and set margins of 10.71% for the Fimex Group, 6.36% for STAPIMEX and 7.59% for 17 separate-rate exporters. The notice is dated November 2 and was published in the Federal Register on November 6 (91 FR 70048)...

Expana's Weekly Top 10

From global commodity markets to restaurant dining rooms, developments across industries are reshaping the business landscape. Shifting trade relationships, supply constraints, market volatility and changing consumer demand are creating new challenges and opportunities, while companies across the supply chain continue to adapt and position themselves for growth.

Find archived recaps here.  

Agricultural Markets and Supply Chain Pressures

10. PODCAST: Episode 49 - Ammonia, CO2, and Sulfur: The Supply Chain Risks Facing Agrifood by Simon Duke

This episode of Agrifood for Thought examines tightening ammonia, CO2 and sulfur supplies and the potential impact...