Feds Signal Management Shift on Kuskokwim if Coho Salmon Run Doesn’t Improve

Federal salmon managers on the lower Kuskokwim River, the portion that flows through the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, announced yesterday that that they will take over management of the subsistence fishery from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game if the silver salmon return numbers remain low.

On Wednesday, the Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group, an advisory group to ADF&G, rejected a recommendation from ADF&G to close all subsistence fishing in the lower Kuskokwim.  State biologists have reported that the 2022 silver run is ...

Man Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Jail for Scallop Boat Murder Off Massachusetts

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that a Virginia man was sentenced to just shy of 20 years in prison for committing murder aboard a scallop vessel off the coast of Massachusetts in 2018.

Franklin Freddy Meave Vazquez, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 235 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on August 11, per a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ)...

Surveys Reveal Consumers Believe Recession is Here; Many Concerned About Rising Food Prices

In the last week, multiple surveys and findings from market research companies indicate that consumers believe the U.S. is already in a recession.

According to a new First Insight Report, The State of Consumer Spending: Inflation Fueling Recession Fears, 62% of consumers believe the economy is in a recession. The survey also found that “rising food prices are the biggest recessionary concern for 68% of consumers, with nearly half (48%) also concerned about food shortages."

“As inflation remains at the highest levels seen...

NOAA Fisheries Releases New Research Plan for Shellfish, Seaweed Aquaculture in Alaska

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center unveiled its new strategic research plan for shellfish and seaweed aquaculture in Alaska.

According to a story posted on NOAA Fisheries website, the research plan will be used to guide the science center’s aquaculture-related research over the next 5 years. Specifically, NOAA mentioned a focus on seaweed (kelp and red algae), shellfish (Pacific oysters, pinto abalone, king crab), and other invertebrates (sea cucumber).

“This science will support the state and NOAA's efforts to promote...

ANALYSIS: Canada Lobster Tail, Meat Exports to U.S. Fall Short in June

Lobster tail and meat import flow into the United States from Canada continues to lag the 2021 pace but is more in-line with the five-year average.

The in-shell category is down 34.7% in June and 35.1% YTD when compared to last year, but just 6% off the five-year pace.

The meat category is down 24.9% in June, and...

VIDEO: StarKist to Supreme Court; Cooke Acquisition; Bluu Seafood; AquaBounty Ohio Update

Join SeafoodNews Managing Editor Amanda Buckle and Urner Barry Seafood Market Reporter Lorin Castiglione for a new episode of the SeafoodNews Podcast. This week we talk about StarKist heading to the Supreme Court; Cooke's latest acquisition; Bluu Seafoods' cultivated fish cell launch; and AquaBounty's latest update on their Ohio facility. 

This episode of the SeafoodNews Weekly Video is brought to you by the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers’ fourth annual meeting, taking place in Seattle on October 17, 2022. The meeting will bring together...

AK Updates: Lots of Fishing Going on Besides Salmon

Alaska’s salmon catches have slowed for the past two weeks but the pace of the fishery remains ahead of last year’s harvest.

The statewide salmon catch as of August 10 was approaching 124.4 million fish. That’s nearly 78% of the  preseason projection of 160.5 million salmon for the 2022 season.

Besides salmon, lots of other Alaska fisheries are underway from the Panhandle to the Bering Sea.

A small fleet of beam trawlers (one of the state’s oldest fisheries) is back on the water in Southeast targeting over 600,000 pounds of...

Wildtype and Conservation Fund Join Forces to Protect Pedro Bay Rivers from Pebble Mine

Cell-based salmon manufacturer Wildtype and the Conservation Fund announced their partnership to support the Pedro Bay Rivers project, a 44,000 acre conservation easement that will block critical access routes to Pebble Mine, a proposed copper and gold mine at the headwaters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay.

Wildtype will match each donation up to the cumulative total of $10,000 in their campaign to support Pedro Bay Rivers.

The Pedro Bay Rivers Project will protect over 44,000 acres of world-renowned wild salmon habitat through conservation easements ...

Chinese Retailer Qdama Commit to Sourcing BAP-Certified Seafood

Qdama, a Chinese retailer committed to source seafood from Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certified producers as part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that the company signed with the Global Seafood Alliance (GSA).

“Food safety is the most important thing for food. It’s the basic bottom line. Fresh food companies must attach great importance to [food safety], and it is also the lifeline for the sustainable and healthy development of enterprises,” said Weihua Feng, general manager of Qdama.

Qdama works to source “healthy, high-quality ingredients...

EDITORIAL: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Strategy to Reintroduce Sea Otters is Flawed

The USFWS study fails to estimate costs to taxpayers; impacts to key local fisheries such as Dungeness crab and sea urchin; neglects to fully examine the impacts to local port and harbor activities and fishing communities and fails to directly clarify to impacted Tribal Nations that no ceremonial and subsistence uses – or control of otter populations negatively impacting other important Tribal resources – are permitted under current Federal law.

For Oregon and California coastal communities dependent on Dungeness crab, sea urchin, and other shellfish, reintroducing sea...

Seafood People Hires Executive Coach Expert Mickael Melaye As New Senior Advisor

Seafood People is expanding their team. The specialty firm, which focuses on executive recruitment, strategy, analysis, project management, marketing, communication and design for the seafood industry, announced on Thursday that they’ve hired Mickael Melaye as a Senior Advisor. 

“While Mickael will be an instrumental member of our executive recruitment team, we have recognized the need to help leaders prepare for challenges ahead and learn to adapt accordingly, Mikael’s expertise builds capacity for this service,” explained Seafood People Managing Director Thomas Bakke.

Melaye is an established...

Canned Tuna Price-Fixing Lawsuit Heads to Supreme Court With StarKist Petition

Starkist, one of the major seafood companies involved in a lengthy canned tuna price-fixing lawsuit, has filed a certiorari petition to the U.S. Supreme Court as the firm aims to decertify class certifications approved by an appellate court back in April.

Earlier this year, an appeals court ruled 9-2 that the judge correctly approved the class action, finding that the companies have overcharged all its customers.

“There is no factual dispute that the tuna suppliers engaged in a price-fixing scheme affecting the entire...

As 2022 Fraser River Sockeye Return, Historical Notes on Year Class Show Variability, Resilience

The forecast for this year’s sockeye return to the Fraser River is 9.8 million fish, significantly lower than the parent year’s pre-season forecast in 2018 of 14.98 million. But that forecast was dropped to 10.9 million after the season was over and the harvest from that run was only 5.19 million sockeye. Further, the escapement into the Fraser’s watershed creeks, rivers, and lakes was only 4.1 million, the lowest since 1994.

Sockeye salmon are four-year-fish, meaning that in general after their  fresh-water ...

Russia: Crab Prices Fell By 50% this Year Due to Oversupply  

According to recent statements, made by representatives of some leading Russian crab producers and local media, prices for crab in Russia fell by almost half this year due to its oversupply, 

As Alexander Sapozhnikov, Director General of the Russian Crab group of companies, one of Russia’s leading crab producers, recently told local TASS newswire that crab prices in Russia fell by 40-50% in annual terms this year. He clarified, however, that the situation with the decline of crab prices is observed also...

Seafood Industry Groups Comment on USTR’s Efforts to Combat Forced Labor in Foreign Supply Chains

In early July the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a request for comments on “Trade Strategy to Combat Forced Labor.” The USTR noted that the strategy would identify priorities and establish an action plan for utilizing existing and potential new trade tools to combat forced labor in traded goods and services. A deadline for public comments was set for August 5, and numerous seafood industry groups decided to use the opportunity to weigh in...

Louisiana Representative Pushing USDA To Purchase Seafood to Assist Fishermen Battling Inflation

U.S. Congressman Garret Graves (LA) has urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to purchase shrimp and crawfish from Louisiana via its food aid programs to help take pressure off of the state’s seafood sector which is face-to-face with a litany of headwinds.

Graves noted that the state’s shrimpers and crawfishers are “struggling to stay afloat amidst record high energy costs, inflation, a crumbling supply chain, workforce shortages, and the disaster recovery process.

“Buying Louisiana seafood is a win-win-win-win for the USDA’s nutrition...

Sober Island Brand OG Oysters Recalled Due to E. Coli

A recall notice posted on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) stated that Sober Island brand OG Oysters were recalled due to generic E. coli.

The impacted oysters were sold in Nova Scotia and the companies listed on the recall was A.C. Covert Distributors and True North Seafood Company.

The audience for the recall was hotels, restaurants and institutions, alongside retail, per the CFIA...

AquaBounty Releases Q2 Results; Issues Update on Pioneer, Ohio Farm

AquaBounty Technologies released their Q2 results on Tuesday, revealing that the land-based aquaculture company generated $1.1 million in product revenue, a year-over-year increase of 371%. During Q2 of 2021 the company only generated $227 thousand  in product revenue. 

​​“Our genetically engineered Atlantic salmon saw continued market validation from seafood distributors in the quarter, with strong demand continuing for the entire output of our Indiana farm,” said AquaBounty CEO Sylvia Wulf.  “This robust demand, combined with improvements in our sales yields and...

This Week in Retail: Reviewing the Chicken Complex; CPI Update

This week in retail, we’ll take a deeper dive into the retail chicken landscape ahead of the approaching NFL season, which officially kicks off in four weeks.

Chicken currently ranks fourth in protein buying opportunities with 16.4%. Seafood, beef, and pork hold the top three spots, respectively.

Urner Barry’s Weekly Retail Feature Chicken Index is $2.96 per pound this week, up 10% from the 5-year average of $2.69 per pound. 

Within the chicken complex, boneless skinless breasts hold the most ad volume at 42.5%. Drumsticks are the next highest featured item with 15.5% of total chicken ads...

Former Bumble Bee Exec Thrown Back Into Canned Tuna Price-Fixing Litigation

Christopher Lischewski, the former CEO of Bumble Bee Foods has been placed back into the fold of a civil suit related to the price-fixing scheme involving top tuna companies in the U.S.

On August 8, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw for the Southern District Court of California granted a motion from the plaintiffs on the case, Associated Wholesale Grocers, its motion to reconsider the case, finding that Lischewski was involved in the price-fixing conspiracy.

“In this case, there is no...

High Liner Foods Sees Volume, Sales, Adjusted Earnings Growth in Q2

High Liner Foods President and CEO Rod Hepponstall described Q2 as a strong quarter for the company leading to year-over-year increases in volume, sales, and Adjusted EBITDA at the halfway point of the fiscal year.

“Our products continue to be in high demand, our team is executing well, and the reliability of our diverse global supply chain continues to differentiate us in the market,” Hepponstall said. “Our ability to perform well in a supply constrained inflationary environment underscores the strong underlying fundamentals of our...

Maruha Nichiro Issues Japan’s First ‘Blue Bond’ Alongside 25% Operating Income Jump

Maruha Nichiro, a major player in the Japanese seafood sector, is close to issuing the country's first “Blue Bond”. The new bond will focus solely on marine and ocean-related projects/businesses, enhancing ocean health through the prevention of water pollution and the sustainable use of marine fishery resources.

“For more than 140 years since its establishment, the Company has benefited from natural capital such as marine resources. As social and environmental issues surrounding the Company Group become more serious year by year, the Company will...

Loki Foods Secures Funding, Unveils Sustainable Atlantic Cod Fillet Alternative

The stars are aligning for Loki Foods, an Icelandic plant-based seafood start-up. The company recently raised $500,000 in their latest funding round. And in addition to that, Loki has also unveiled their plant-based Atlantic cod fillet.

Loki Foods’ mission is to “supply the world with sustainable, plant-based Arctic food that does not compromise on nutrition, taste, texture, cookability or affordability.” Their first product, Loki White Fish, is high in protein and omega-3s & 6s. To top it off, the company boasts that their product cooks...

Scottish Seafood Processor Uses Grant Funds To explore New Ways to Smoke Fish

Mmm smoked fish… with coffee grounds?

The traditional method of smoking seafood uses wood chips. However, one Scottish seafood processor is shaking things up by using coffee grounds instead.

The idea to use coffee grounds to smoke fish came from the Scotland Food and Drink Net Zero Challenge, which was held back in February. The goal of the challenge is sto support change and innovation in the name of reducing carbon emissions. Seafood firm Sutherlands of Portsoy received funding and partnered with the...

Cooke Inc. Acquires Belgium Shrimp Processor Morubel

Canadian seafood giant Cooke Inc. acquired Belgium-based shrimp processor Morubel, it announced on August 9.

Cooke shared that Morubel is a leading processor in Western Europe and has the capability to cultivate, process, pack and distribute shrimp and other seafood products. It serves organic and frozen products to retail, foodservice and food industry customers across Europe in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, and France.

Morubel’s wild-caught products range from Argentina red shrimp, tropical prawns and shrimp, Vannamei prawns, crayfish, and squid. Its farmed products...

Lawmakers Sound the Alarm on Seafood Traceability Concerns in Letter to FDA

Several senators are taking the Food and Drug Administration to task on seafood traceability.

Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and other colleagues sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf this week, urging the FDA to retain and strengthen seafood traceability rules. Strengthening these rules will ensure Americans are consuming safe, legally caught and honestly labeled seafood, the senators said in a press release.

In addition to Feinstein and Merkley, Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Conn.; Cory Booker, N.J.; Edward J. Markey and ...

Japan: H1 Surimi Imports Up 10.3%, June Imports from the U.S. Fell 44.1%

Surimi prices are historically high, but surimi imports in the first half of 2022 reached 114,899 tons, or 10.3% higher than last year, reported Kamaboko News.

The Ministry of Finance recently announced that the amount of surimi imported in June 2022 was 21,542 tons, a decrease of 3.4% from the previous year.

Imports from the United States amounted to 6,004 tons, halved to 45.9% of the previous year. It was the third straight month of decline. Imports from Thailand were...

Offshore Wave Energy Takes Center Stage as Politicians Visit Oregon State University

The push for offshore wind development seems to have left wave energy in its wake. But Oregon State University and politicians haven't.

Before the gold rush to lock in ocean areas for thousands of wind turbines, wave energy had its own mini-gold rush in the late 2000s. Companies vied for nearshore areas that, on the West Coast, would have meant disruption to hundreds of nearshore fishermen, including Dungeness crabbers. Wave energy never really developed. One test buoy, placed off Newport, sank.

But Oregon ...

NOAA Looking for Applications for New American Fisheries Advisory Committee

NOAA Fisheries has made a call for applications to its new American Fisheries Advisory Committee which will consist of members from seafood sectors, including processors, recreational and commercial fishermen and seafood farmers, fisheries scientists, and regional fishery management council members.

The new committee was created by the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act in May 2022 to make recommendations for Saltonstall-Kennedy priorities and grant award funding, NOAA explained.

The committee will consist of 22 members with three representatives from six regions. There will also be four...

Nova Scotia Opens Public Comments for Aquaculture Operations

The Nova Scotia provincial government invited individuals to share feedback on its aquaculture regulations during a four-week public consultation period.

“Since December, we’ve met with community stakeholders, industry representatives and public sector partners to understand their perspectives and hear their thoughts on how we could improve our aquaculture regulations. And now, we want to hear from Nova Scotians,” said Steve Craig, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. “You don’t need to be an expert to be part of this process. If you...