Industry Reactions to "America the Beautiful" Report Mostly Positive

When President Biden announced his Climate Crisis Executive Order one week after his inauguration, seafood industry executives quickly expressed their support — and many suggestions — from across the country. That engagement continued this week with mostly support for the interagency report “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful” released yesterday.

The At-Sea Processors Association and Seafood Harvesters of America called the report “a compelling vision for collaborative conservation; facilitating sustainable use that produces social and economic benefits now, while safeguarding biodiversity for generations to come. It is a vision that ...

VIDEO: Mexican Shrimp Ban; China Buying Pressure; Call for Biden to Revoke EO; Mother’s Day Spending

Join SeafoodNews Weekly Video co-hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione as they talk about the U.S. banning wild shrimp imports from Mexico; U.S. Senator Susan Collins requesting that the USTR turn the pressure up on China; PETA's call for Biden to revoke the Executive Order Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth; and Mother's Day spending.

This episode of the SeafoodNews Weekly Video is brought to you by Urner Barry Consulting. Urner Barry Consulting provides tailored solutions to identify...

ANALYSIS: Lobster Prices Higher Than Normal Ahead of Mother's Day

The current landscape for the live lobster market looks a lot different than it did a year ago. This time last year, the Canadian spring season was getting underway amid a depressed market. Closed overseas markets, lockdowns, and safety restrictions gave pause to market participants. The uncertainty surrounding the level of demand from the foodservice sector curtailed the amount of product that was landed and processed in the spring. The 2020 Canadian spring shore price by mid-May was in...

ANALYSIS: Tilapia Imports Drop 47%

Imports of frozen tilapia fillets fell from the previous month, as seasonally expected due to interruptions from the Chinese New Year holiday, by 47 percent. March 2021 recorded 10.6 million pounds of volume with an approximate value of 19.1 million dollars. Despite recording higher volume than the same month a year ago when the pandemic was just shutting down the U.S., prior to that, 2021 was the lowest March on record since 2008.

On a year-to-date basis, 2021 has imported 54.7 million pounds...

AquaBounty Gives Update on Upcoming Commercial Launch of GE Salmon

AquaBounty’s genetically engineered salmon will be heading towards your local grocery store in the near future. The land-based aquaculture company released their First Quarter 2021 Financial Results earlier this week and provided some much anticipated updates on their GE salmon. According to AquaBounty CEO Sylvia Wulf, the company is currently preparing for their first commercial scale harvest, which they expect to begin this month.

“We are looking forward to a successful commercial launch of our GE salmon, which will mark a tremendous milestone that has been decades in the...

ISSF Announces New Conservation Measure for Indian Ocean Yellowfin Tuna Ahead of IOTC Meeting

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) announced its latest conservation measure that will require participating companies to reduce the annual sourcing of Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna.

The measure will come into effect if the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) does not take action at its June 2021 annual meeting to effectively implement the IOTC scientific committee's advice on the reduction of yellowfin catch.

ISSF’s Conservation Measure 1.3 IOTC Yellowfin Tuna Rebuilding, was noted in the group’s latest position statement, which can be found here...

Lobster Holds Prominent Place at Hard Rock Cafe During Mother’s Day

The Hard Rock Cafe will feature plenty of lobster in its limited-time menu offerings to celebrate Mother’s Day from May 6-9.

Featured on the menu will be Lobster Flatbread, a dish featuring sweet lobster with mozzarella cheese, red bell peppers and green onions, finished with a creamy spicy aioli.

Alongside the flatbread, guests can opt for the Lobster Cobb Salad with sweet lobster pieces, avocado, roasted corn, black beans, Monterey Jack cheese, tomatoes and crispy chickpeas on a bed of fresh mixed greens tossed in a creamy...

Subway Adds Fresh Tuna Melt to Menu; Launches Deal to Welcome New Item

Sandwich chain Subway introduced Fresh Melts a way to “upgrade” guests' typical footlong orders with a new option featuring extra cheese and grilled bread for just one more buck.

Qsrmagazine noted that the Subway Fresh Melts will deliver triple the amount of cheese on the sandwiches, including the brand's Tuna Melt. The new tuna option will feature 00 percent real wild-caught tuna with mayo, fresh onion and melty provolone cheese.

“Fresh Melts are our latest menu innovation to give guests fresh, smart choices that..."

Seafood Nutrition Partnership Shares 4 Reasons Why You Should Eat Delicious Seafood this Summer

Summer means enjoying the outdoors and plenty of grilling. These are perfect conditions to add seafood to your summer meals from family gatherings, to barbecues with friends, picnics and even your weeknight dinner. If you're ready for vacation vibes, try starting in your own backyard with seafood boils, lobster rolls, crab cakes, grilled mahi, tuna steaks and more. Seafood Nutrition Partnership is offering some inspiration, tips and a lot of recipes to help you and your family find delicious ways to eat more heart-healthy seafood...

Vaccine Clinics Coming to Seafood Companies, Ports, Ahead of Pacific Hake Season

Now that state and federal health agencies have re-approved the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, Ocean Gold has scheduled another vaccine clinic at its facility in Westport, Wash.

The clinic is timely, given the Pacific whiting season starts May 15 and an influx of workers will swell the employee rosters of major seafood processors on the West Coast through the summer.

This May 10 clinic follows an earlier successful clinic held in March. A subsequent clinic in April...

U.S. Allows Riverbank Shrimp From Mexico After Wild Shrimp Import Ban

Riverbank shrimp from Mexico will continue to be imported into the U.S. following the ban on wild shrimp that was announced late last week.

As SeafoodNews previously reported, the U.S. announced that they would be banning wild caught shrimp imports from Mexico and only allowing shrimp harvested from aquaculture to enter the country. 

“The Department suspended the certification of Mexico because its sea turtle protection program is no longer comparable to that of the United States,” the notice in the Federal Register explained...

Alaska Fishing Update For May 2021

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch –

Managers are set to announce any day when the famous Copper River fishery near Cordova will open for sockeyes and kings, signaling the official  start of Alaska’s 2021 salmon season. 

Alaska’s biggest herring fishery at Togiak kicked off on May 3 with two buyers and about a dozen boats on the grounds. They have a roughly 85 million pound quota, the largest since 1993. (42,639 tons).

Herring fishing continued around Kodiak for a nearly 16 million pound catch, the largest ever...

USDA Looking to Make 8.3 Million Pound Alaska Pollock Purchase 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is looking to purchase over 8.3 million pounds of Alaska pollock products. The USDA released a bid solicitation on May 4 that said the purchases will be used for the National School Lunch Program and other Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs.

The USDA said acceptances will be announced by midnight, May 26, 2021 and deliveries are to be made between July 1, 2021 through February 28, 2022. The Department is seeking products including pollock sticks, nuggets and frozen fillets...

Over 60 U.S. Seafood Industry Leaders Push Congress to Develop a National Seafood Council

Over sixty leading organizations involved in the U.S. seafood industry sent a letter to Congress looking for the government to support a nationwide seafood marketing and public education campaign.

The idea of a national seafood marketing campaign and a National Seafood Council was recommended by NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Council (MAFAC) in July 2020.

“A broad-reaching, unified National Seafood Council will provide the scale needed to complement and amplify efforts of existing seafood marketing organizations and will focus on...

NOAA Launches New Tool to Reduce West Coast Whale Entanglement Risk

By combining the latest ocean condition data and marine life on the west coast NOAA Fisheries scientists have created a new tool that aims to reduce the entanglement risk of whales on the west coast.

“Resource managers and stakeholders can refer to the page for the latest information like prey abundance or sea surface temperatures before considering a season delay or other management options,” said Jarrod Santora a research biologist at the NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center who helped develop the new system, told NOAA...

Cargill Begins Production of AquaXcel Feed in Indonesia

Cargill has begun the production of its AquaXcel feed in its Serang, Indonesia plant. The new feed aims to allow customers to achieve more sustainable growth. The product can enable faster fry growth, increase survival rate, and reduce feed waste.

To celebrate the start of production, Cargill held a video conference attended by government officials and Cargill aqua feed customers and partners in Indonesia. Ir. Mimid Abdul Hamid, M.Sc., Director of Feed from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia, delivered a keynote speech...

North Pacific Council’s New Public Comment Policy Triggers Intense Reactions

Personal attacks and profanity laced five of the 250 written comments submitted to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council last month on just one of the half dozen issues before the Alaska fisheries management panel. Council staff pulled the comments after they'd been live for a few hours and reached out to each author to ask them to resubmit their comments without the offensive language. Only one did. 

The issue was abundance based management (ABM) of halibut in the Bering Sea, where far more halibut is taken as incidental bycatch...

Maine Senator Asks USTR to Put Pressure on China; Buy More U.S. Lobster

U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) has asked U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai to turn the pressure up on China and get the country to buy more lobster from the U.S.

Senator Collins asked USTR Tai during a Commerce Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on April 28, "What steps [are you] planning to take to ensure that China lives up to its promise and its purchase agreements that it made in the phase one agreement?"

Tai assured Collins that China living up to its promises made...

EU Aquaculture Report: Volume Remains Steady but COVID-19 Hurts Sales

The European Commission's (EC) Joint Research Centre released the EU Aquaculture Sector – Economic report 2020 which assessed the industry in the European Union. The report contains national reporting data from up to 2018 and scientific estimates to break down the impact that COVID-19 had on the sector during 2020.

A ‘nowcast’ tool was created by scientists to estimate the economic situation for aquaculture and how it hit the industry in 2020. Estimates indicated that “the pandemic has led to a 17% decrease in sales volume and 8% decrease...

Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area Closes For the Season

The Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area closed on Thursday after NOAA determined that 100% of the 2021 default total allowable catch for the area will be taken. As of May 6, no scallop vessel fishing under federal scallop regulations is allowed to fish for, possess, or land scallops in the area until March 31, 2022.

According to NOAA, Framework Adjustment 33 is currently under review and will implement a 2021 NGOM LAGC TAC of 119,222 lbs. when finalized...

Innovate BC, Provincial Government Awards $325K to Three Aquaculture Innovations

At the inaugural Aquaculture Innovation Awards event, Innovate BC and the provincial government awarded three British Columbia aquaculture innovations CA$325,000.

The awards included a pair of $150,000 awards, selected by judges and a $25,000 fan favorite award. The top 10 finalists were chosen through a judging process. The top-ten then had to pitch their innovations at the Award event and then responded to questions from selected customer advisors.

Poseidon Ocean Systems, This Fish and Fan Favourite Industrial Plankton were the three award recipients...

Gulf of St. Lawrence Snow Crab Quota 76% Caught Amid New Grid Closures 

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has confirmed additional grid closures in the Gulf of St. Lawrence due to the presence of North Atlantic right whales. However, the news comes at a point when 76% of the snow crab quota in the Gulf has been caught.

According to the latest announcement, the following grids will be closed beginning at 5 p.m. on May 8: GW52, GW53, GW54, GX52, GX53, GX54, HB55, and HB56. In addition, a portion of the following grids will...

ASP, FFAW Share Opposing Views on NL’s Economic Recovery Team Report

In October 2020 Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey appointed the Economic Recovery Team to explore growth sectors such as clean energy and investments in technology, review government expenditures, the province’s fiscal capacity, and how services are delivered. On Thursday Dame Moya Greene, the Chairperson of the Economy Recovery Team, released her report, titled “The Big Reset,” to Premier Furey. The report, which outlines how the province’s fiscal situation “must be brought under control,” has received mixed reviews from seafood industry organizations the...

Japan’s Discharge Announcement Triggers More Ripple Effect in China

Japan’s plan to discharge waste water into the ocean is more than a domestic issue. And it is believed to not only exert great influence on its own seafood industry, but also impact other countries to different extents. For example, China, one of its neighbors, intends to stop its seafood imports and search for other substitutes.

Japan was never a main seafood supplier to Chinam which tends to source seafood from all over the world, said one insider. The country is not even among the top 10 suppliers whose exports are...

Administration's 'America the Beautiful' Initiative to Conserve Lands, Waters by 2030 Released Today

The long-awaited report from the Biden administration, commonly referred to as the "30x30" report because of its goal to conserve 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030, was released today. The report was expected as part of Biden's Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, announced in January.

At only 24 pages, the report outlines a locally led and voluntary nationwide goal to achieve the 30 percent land and waters conservation by 2030...

ANALYSIS: A Look at Live Lobster, Salmon, Scallops and Shrimp Ahead of Mother’s Day

Go big or go home for Mother's Day. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), Mother’s Day spending is expected to total a record $28.1 billion this year; up $1.4 billion from 2020. 

Now, that increase shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise considering that many states were still under strict COVID-19 lockdowns during Mother’s Day 2020. But despite the pandemic, last year’s figures—especially at foodservice—still weren’t anything to frown about...

Camanchaca Farm Expansion in Chiloé Hits Roadblock

Camanchaca’s plans to expand their farming centers in Chiloé has hit a bit of a roadblock, according to Bio Bio Chile. The news outlet reports that the Los Lagos Regional Council, which is in charge of reviewing environmental impact statements, made some observations following the harmful algae blooms. Now the company will have to reformulate the expansion projects.

“Due to the recent environmental disaster that occured in the Comau Fjord and based on the Regional Development Strategy, all the councilors made observations on the projects...

Atlantic Natural Foods, Makers of Plant-based Brand TUNO Launches Online Store

Atlantic Natural Foods, a manufacturer of a number of plant-based brands, including seafood alternative TUNO, launched its new online store allowing consumers to grab plant-based products straight from AtlanticNatrualFoods.com

With a boom in e-commerce during the pandemic, the company said it will continue to expand its capabilities in that department and enhance its digital footprint through the marketplace.

"We're always looking for ways to make it easier for people to enjoy our sustainable and healthy plant-based foods, and our new online store means added convenience...

ANALYSIS: March Shrimp Imports Surge Against Low 2020

March shrimp import totals were released today, and as expected blew past last year’s figures given the initial shutdowns that occurred in March 2020. At a little more than 138 million pounds, this was a 21 percent increase from 114.110 million pounds in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date figures are now nearly 10 percent above the first quarter of 2020.

India (-1.3%) continued to lag, but was the only major trade partner that showed any meaningful decline. Despite...

Togiak Sac Roe Herring Season Opened Monday with Highest Forecast in 30 Years

Togiak’s herring sac roe fishery is larger, judging by a biomass of 236,700 tons, and healthier than it has been in recent memory. Forecasted weight of the mature population is 285 grams for six-year-olds, estimated to make up 33% of the mature population and 329g for seven year olds, which are about a quarter of the mature population this year. 

The season opened Monday evening at 6 for seine sac roe harvesters until further notice.

Unfortunately, the market doesn't mirror the resource's health and sustainability...